Still The One (Family Stone #4 Jack) (Family Stone Romantic Suspense)

by Lisa Hughey

  Last night was physical. That’s all. A sexual release she hadn’t gotten in a very long time. A very long time.

  Bliss wondered how difficult it would be for her to extricate herself from his arms and go have a breakdown in the bathroom. Likely impossible. Jack had been a light sleeper years ago. She’d guess that hadn’t changed.

  She took stock. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was already awake. And typical Jack he was assessing, holding back, waiting for her.

  She had to treat this as a casual encounter. She couldn’t afford to get emotionally tangled up with Jack again. The last time had nearly destroyed her.

  Casual. Much needed release. She drew in a mental breath. She could do this. Pretend this wasn’t some monumental joining. Project an air of nonchalance. Just two healthy people enjoying each other’s bodies. Play it cool.

  She patted the hand wrapped around her waist briskly and he moved his arm. Bliss slid out of bed and ignored the impulse to run for the bathroom. Instead she braced herself, turned and gave him a satisfied smile. “Morning.”

  “Good. Morning.” His voice, gravelly and still laced with sleep, caused a rush of desire to warm her belly and flood her sex. But hell if she was going there again.

  Her blood pooled in her groin but she forced herself to saunter to the bathroom slowly. Her heart pounded and sweat sheened her skin as she pretended all the way across the room.

  Jack was a guy. Guys typically didn’t like to talk things to death. And Jack had been less likely to talk and share than other men she’d been intimate with but she needed to say something to indicate they weren’t going to talk about it. She turned at the thin, wood door, hand on the cheap faux brass knob and gave him a fake smile and stared over his shoulder. “Thanks for last night.” Then she closed the door behind her.

  So, that happened.

  ***

  Jack considered the closed bathroom door. He’d been awake awhile. He’d just lain there and savored the feel of Bliss in his arms. It had been a long while since he’d slept with anyone. Oh, he’d had sex, but the last time he’d actually slept in the same bed with a woman had been…with Bliss.

  He’d lived on base when he’d been in the Navy, even when he was with Naval Intelligence. Even after he moved off base, he never brought women to his home. He went to their place and then left before he fell asleep. Now, maybe because he lived with his mother and siblings, he didn’t bring women home either. Last year when he’d moved back to Monterey to start the business, he’d moved back into the Stone Mansion and just…never moved out.

  But sleeping with Bliss last night had been…amazing. She fallen asleep beneath him before he’d even gone completely soft. And when he’d come out of the bathroom after disposing of the condom, he’d stared at his bed, then at her naked form, and consciously slid under the covers and curled around her.

  He hadn’t been able to bear leaving her yet.

  Fuck. He needed to shut that line of thinking down right now.

  It was just sex. Physical release. He’d been so busy getting the company off the ground he hadn’t had a lot of time for women in the last year. No way was last night as momentous as it felt at the time.

  He’d felt her wake up. Felt her tense. And the disappointment that overwhelmed him had been concrete. He’d been hoping for the soft, sweet, old Bliss. Instead, he’d gotten the new, closed off, secretive Bliss and for the first time ever he wanted to talk about what had happened last night.

  Jesus, he was turning into a sappy idiot.

  They needed to find Maria Torres before he completely lost his balls.

  He couldn’t afford to get tangled up with her again. His business was going extremely well, his family was just starting to gel. Last night with Bliss was just a distraction. A way to get her out of his system once and for all.

  But in the back of his mind, he wondered, what if this were a second chance?

  Six

  They were on their way back to California. Shane had met them at the Perry Regional Airport with a big smile on his face, which made Jack question his assurance that he had been hanging out with an old Army buddy last night.

  Jack had avoided any personal, emotional minefields by sticking strictly to the case and spending as much time in the co-pilot chair next to Shane as possible. He had his pilot’s license but usually took the flight time to work.

  Shane had raised a questioning brow and looked at Jack like he was crazy. He shook his head. “You Stone brothers.” Shane’s deep voice echoed in his ears, the noise cancelling headphones made it easy to hear him and blocked out the sound of Bliss breathing. “You got a captive audience, and you aren’t taking advantage of the opportunity.”

  Brothers? The only other brother Shane had flown recently was Riley. He couldn’t possibly be talking about Riley and Diana Lundberg. She had shut Riley down hard when they’d met, and called Jack repeatedly, right up until the day before their trip, to try to get a different guide for her mission to Jolo Island to deliver school supplies.

  But Diana was out of luck. Riley was definitely the best employee for the dangerous trip.

  Too bad the headphones couldn’t also put up a wall around distracting people as well. Jack was hyper-aware of Bliss in the cabin behind him. They’d left the curtain to the cockpit open, in case she needed them. Her attention was firmly on the file in her hands. Too aware. She hadn’t looked up once, which told him she was trying hard to keep her attention on the papers and off everything else.

  Like the fact that they’d had sex last night.

  He couldn’t let his mind stray there. He needed to focus on finding Maria. Because that was his job, he needed to forget about last night just like she was clearly trying to do.

  The interviews at the store and bank where Maria had stopped to get money and food didn’t yield any more information. No one remembered her. They’d already seen the security tapes. Jack had been impressed with Bliss’s professional demeanor as they’d questioned the store managers and employees. They could pinpoint which employees actually interacted with Maria but unfortunately they had no recollection of her. She’d managed to fade into obscurity. Which was good for Maria but bad for them.

  There was a used car lot across from the Wal-Mart where she’d picked up new stuff.

  Jack would bet that she’d bought a new car. He didn’t think she’d feel comfortable enough on any kind of public transportation, but they couldn’t know for sure.

  Adams-Larsen had a security watch for her new identity on the booking computer systems for Amtrak and Greyhound. Both he and Bliss thought she’d be too vulnerable to security cameras and eagle-eyed security. But if she bought a ticket under another name then they were out of luck. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Although flying was definitely out of the question.

  He had to believe that she would be terrified of Fernandez’s reach. After all, the man had kept her locked up for years and no one had ever discovered her.

  Once they were airborne, Jack reluctantly headed back to the passenger area.

  Jack would have preferred to spend the time hiding in the cockpit with Shane but he needed to go over the information with Bliss and decide on a plan of attack once they landed in Monterey.

  He left the cockpit and sat down in the leather seat across the table from Bliss. She had a mug of coffee at her elbow and glasses perched on her nose as she reviewed the papers again.

  “We need to come up with a plan once we touch down.”

  “Okay.”

  “Since we know Maria won’t be able to get to Salinas for another day even if she drives like a bat out of hell, she’ll have to stop to sleep, I suggest we pursue the threats Fernandez made.”

  Bliss nodded. Her red hair gleamed in the bright sunlight pouring in through the oval window. “Sounds good to me. I also want to visit the house where she was held but we need to approach the crime scene carefully.” They likely wouldn’t be able to squeeze in a visit after they touched down. Even with the time
difference, they took off from Iowa around eleven a.m. California time, so when they landed in Monterey there wouldn’t be enough daylight to check out Maria’s former prison.

  Jack agreed. My, weren’t they being civil. “I want to see the transcript of the cell call. Since this is my backyard, it’s possible I’ll have a better handle on who and what he’s targeting.”

  Bliss rifled through a beat up black leather delivery bag until she found the paper she was looking for.

  Jack scanned the transcript. Fear stabbed him, ice hardened his veins and slowed down his heart.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He hadn’t moved and she could tell something was wrong? Jack would dwell on that fact later. Right now he had more pressing problems on his hand.

  “This address. It’s my office.”

  “Your company isn’t listed at this address,” Bliss refuted. “I checked the building occupants myself. We couldn’t find any connection between Fernandez and the businesses or tenants.”

  “GHR and Stone Consulting are actually under the umbrella of JSJ Enterprises. We have the top floor but we’re not listed as an occupant. And the building is owned by SAE.”

  “I know.” Bliss crossed her arms over her chest as if getting ready to argue with him. “What does that have to do with you and your company?”

  “JSJ is me. Jackson Stone, Junior and SAE stands for Stone Aeronautical Engineering.”

  “Okay.” But recognition was dawning in her gaze, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Because everyone had heard of SAE. The company was as ubiquitous to the plane industry as Boeing or Airbus or McDonnell Douglas. “And?”

  But he could tell by the way her mouth tightened that she already had a good idea what he was going to say next.

  “That’s my father.”

  “So….”

  “My family is loaded.” He’d never shared that with her. He rarely shared with any of his acquaintances who his father was or the name of his father’s company. Bliss had been much more than an acquaintance and he’d never shared intimate details about his family. About his father. About how freaking dysfunctional it all was.

  He tried not to have anything to do with dear old dad. Although he wasn’t going to deny that the trust fund money he’d inherited at twenty-five had made his life a whole hell of lot easier. And the next installment at thirty-three was how he’d been able to start JSJ Enterprises, Stone Consulting, and Global Humanitarian Relief.

  All three of his siblings had pitched in money when they had come on board. But still the bulk of the money had been Jack’s. But he’d never told her he was connected to the SAE empire.

  “And?”

  “And we pay rent and our customers know where we’re located but we are not listed as the official occupants. Unless you know us, and we know you, we’re…difficult to find.”

  “I take it that’s on purpose.”

  “Absolutely.” Jack bit off. They needed to focus on the real issue here. José Fernandez had singled out his building to watch. That was clear from the transcripts. Fuck.

  “And you’re upset because—”

  “I’m worried about my assistant, Ava.” Jack figured that a response to her statement wasn’t really necessary. He paced the cabin of the jet. “What if the veiled threat in this transmission was for Ava?”

  Bliss stiffened.

  Shit. Jack rubbed his hand over the back of his neck again. They were in midair. They weren’t going to land in California for several more hours. He needed to let Connor know he needed to protect Ava. But he had to be discreet.

  “It says observe and acquire target.” Jack’s stomach balled into a knot. Ava had been lucky the day that her friends went missing. She’d stayed home sick from school. Otherwise she might have been abducted too. He knew she lived with that guilt, still. Lived with the haunting question…Why had she been spared?

  “I know,” Bliss replied. “We’re monitoring the police scanners for any unusual activity.”

  Jack raised his scarred brow. That was pretty slick.

  “I told you that I have my brother looking into Fernandez.” Jack clarified. “He’s using the company computers.”

  “Your brother works with you?”

  Jack let his happiness spread over his face and his mouth curved in a smile. “Yeah. All three of my siblings work for the company now. It took a while but I finally convinced them to come work with me.”

  Something odd flashed over her face, gone before Jack could decipher what that look meant. Longing?

  “That’s…nice.” Her voice was soft, almost sweet.

  “Gives me the chance to look out for everyone.”

  “Really?”

  He knew what she was thinking. When they’d been together, he’d been loose and carefree. But that was after years of taking care of everyone. He shrugged. “They’re my responsibility.”

  “Okay.”

  And that responsibility spread to his employees as well. “I’m worried about Ava’s safety.” If the order to observe and acquire was for his brother, Con could take care of himself, but Ava….

  “It’s slim.”

  “But if I know about Maria and Ava, it’s a very strong possibility that Fernandez does too.”

  “True.”

  “I need to call Connor.”

  “Absolutely not.” Bliss didn’t say anything else.

  Shit. She wasn’t going to let him call. Well fuck that. What had happened to the compassionate woman he’d been in love with years ago?

  “I need to warn them.”

  “We can’t take the chance that Fernandez has somehow been alerted to the fact that we had a tap on that phone.”

  “What about the chance that Ava is in danger?”

  “Maria is more important that Ava Sanchez.” Her face was a cold mask as she shut him down. Her fingers were clenched white around her biceps.

  “Seriously?”

  “It’s for the greater good,” Bliss insisted stubbornly.

  Fuck. That.

  Jack knew from the look on her face, the same look she’d worn when she’d kicked him out years ago that she wasn’t going to budge. He couldn’t call from the plane anyway, they’d chosen to go unplugged for the corporate jet, so he’d have to wait until they landed.

  “Let’s focus on what we’re going to do once we get to Monterey.”

  They hammered out a plan, both kept the conversation tight, discussing how they were going to tail Fernandez, and when would be a good time to visit the house where Maria was kept captive. And how they were going to stay away from Jack’s office and his siblings.

  Jack appreciated her ordered plan and her insight on tracking down Maria. But he had no intention of leaving Con and Ava in the dark.

  Hours later they landed in California. Shane brought them down with a smooth as butter landing. As they taxied off the runway and toward their private storage hanger, Jack itched to pull out his phone.

  Jack’s worry had grown proportionally with every minute they were in the air. He needed to talk to Connor. Wanted to make sure Ava was okay. She was like another sister to him.

  While Bliss went to the bathroom, Jack made an executive decision and dialed Connor. “Con?” Jack barked.

  “Jack, it really isn’t a good time.” Con’s voice was tense.

  Jack could hear sirens and shouting in the background. It sounded like complete chaos.

  “Ava is in danger,” Jack spit out.

  Con said, “Jess, get down here now.”

  Jess? Jack actually took his phone away from his ear and stared at it for a second.

  Con spoke rapidly, “I know. I was trying to fix it.”

  “I’m worried she’s going to be abducted,” Jack continued.

  “I stopped it.”

  “Oh, thank God.” Jack let a swell of relief roll over him. If Con had taken care of it, everything was good.

  “But Jack,” Con said. “I’m about to mess up GHR’s good name.”

 
Fuck GHR. “Ava’s safe?”

  “You aren’t listening to me. I fucked up and GHR is going to be all over the news.”

  Jack ignored whatever Con thought he’d done. The most important issues were Ava and Con’s safety. “Ava’s okay? You’re okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you, Con, I’m proud of you. You did a good job.”

  Bliss burst out of the head and ran toward him, a look of pure panic on her face. “Who are you talking to?”

  “Shit,” Jack blurted out. “Got to run.”

  Bliss grabbed for his cell phone. “Get off that phone now.”

  She managed to curl her fingers around his phone and yanked, but since Jack had relayed the message he didn’t care.

  “You’re going to ruin.” She jabbed the end button on his cell. “Everything.”

  He’d protected his family.

  Bliss shouted. “Jesus, Jack. Are you trying to send up a spotlight letting Fernandez know we’re onto him and that we’ve lost Maria? And that we’re in California?”

  “First of all, I didn’t mention Maria at all,” Jack spoke calmly, quietly. He’d warned his brother and Con was on top of it. That was all he cared about right now. “My brother knows nothing about Maria Torres being found.”

  Bliss opened her mouth to yell at him again, so he started talking over her objections. “Second, you’re making the assumption that Fernandez has our phones tagged.”

  “Assume everything is tagged.” Bliss put her hand to her forehead and paced. “Un-freaking-believable. I should have taken your damn phone away from you.”

  “I was right. Ava was attacked.”

  “Bully for you.”

  Jack hated having to explain himself. He hadn’t been that much of a self-centered ass when they’d been together, had he? He frowned as he tried to make her see reason.

  “Look, Bliss,” Jack tried to explain. “She’s like my little sister. How could I live with myself if something happened to her? I wasn’t just blowing off your rules for the hell of it. She’s my responsibility.”

  It was as if he’d punched her. Her shoulders slumped momentarily. And she closed her eyes, blocking the pain reflected in her gaze before she hid it from him.