Beyond that he could see a large, tastefully decorated living room with French doors opening onto a balcony. Even with the two paramedics standing in the middle of the room, the breathtaking view of the city was hard to miss, but he didn’t care about that. Where was Jet?
He heard a noise beyond the living room and walked inside. Seeing an archway to the right of the living room he headed towards the sound.
‘Jet.’ All the breath left him and by the time he arrived in front of her he felt light-headed.
He took a brief second to survey her—the bandage on her forehead, the nasty bluish-purple bruising on her face and the cold pack sitting on the bench—then he did what he’d desperately wanted to do for the past three hours.
He stepped forward, pulled her gently into his arms and engulfed her in an embrace.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jet only realised she was crying when Dan eased back and looked down at her. She hadn’t allowed herself to shed any tears until now but there was no denying the wet patch on his T-shirt. She had no idea how long they’d stood there holding each other. It had felt like moments and hours at the same time.
‘Hey.’
She resisted closing her eyes at the sound of his deep voice. Even in her distressed, injured state, a part of her body she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge ached for him.
‘Hey,’ she replied.
‘So, I was in the area and thought I’d drop by and see how the other half live.’
Jet’s laughter surprised her, but once it came she couldn’t stop and fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. Happy tears, if that was possible.
Dan grinned and looked around him. ‘Nice place. I can see why you like it. Except for the lack of a wine cellar. You can’t have a wine cellar living in the penthouse, so it loses some points for that.’
‘It has been an issue, I’ll admit.’
‘That’s alright. We can arrange for a steady supply of wine. I’ve got contacts.’ His smile faltered and the spark in his blue eyes dimmed. ‘God, Jet. You scared the hell out of us.’
Her own smile faded. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘No. No.’ He shook her gently. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for, do you hear me?’
The vehemence in his voice surprised Jet. It took a lot for this good-natured, affable man to lose his cool and that made his words all the harder to take. She sniffed and wiped away fresh tears.
‘Thank you for coming,’ she whispered instead. ‘My phone call worked then?’
Dan grimaced. ‘You bet it did. We were able to record it.’
‘You did? How much did you hear?’
Judging by the way Dan’s frown lines deepened, he’d heard most of it. ‘Enough for the police to find you. It was a smart move to say you were in a car near your office. And now the recording will be evidence. So you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.’
Thank God. Jet released a tight breath and stepped out of Dan’s reach. What would have happened to her if she hadn’t been able to make that call? The alternatives were too sickening to comprehend. It was tempting to have him wrap himself around her again so she could forget, but after being unwillingly brought into her mess, he deserved her honesty.
‘No. I mean, yes. Yes, I’m happy to talk about it. At least that means when tomorrow comes I don’t have to talk about it.’
Dan nodded. ‘How many of them were there?’ he said gently.
‘Three. One with me in the back seat and two in the front.’
‘The one in the back seat was the one who hit you?’ Dan’s voice was dangerously low.
‘Yes. And before you ask, I didn’t get a good look at his face. Or any of their faces. They were all wearing caps and sunglasses. The most I can tell you is they were well-dressed, all had dark hair, five o’clock shadows and they appeared to have olive skin. That’s it.’
‘They’ve got to have some connection to Benedetti.’
‘I’m pretty sure that’s the first lead the police will be following up. They weren’t stupid though. They’ll have alibis and I doubt his immediate friends would take such an obvious risk.’
‘True. Alex has a big circle of connections. Whoever it is will feel the heat with the police watching and trying to search them out.’
That had occurred to Jet as well, and it gave her some comfort. At least it would make it harder for them to target her in the future.
She picked up the glass of water she’d left sitting on the bench and took a sip, needing time to think. She hadn’t had any real time since the police had found her to try to make sense of everything. First they’d asked questions, the Commissioner had arrived, then the paramedics. It had been a long night.
They both turned at the sound of someone approaching.
‘Juliet. I won’t ask how you are. I’m glad your home safe.’
‘Not safe enough,’ Dan muttered from beside her. ‘And it’s Jet.’
At the sight of Marty standing in the doorway, Jet set her glass down unsteadily. She suddenly felt close to tears again. ‘Marty,’ she managed.
‘I’m not here to ask questions. Dan wanted to see you. I must admit I wanted to do the same after listening to what you went through.’
‘I’m—I’m OK.’ She offered him a weak smile, then whispered. ‘Just. What did you tell Cynthia?’
‘The truth,’ Marty replied simply.
‘Oh. Oh.’ Jet gulped in a breath and reached for a nearby kitchen stool, lowering herself onto it. ‘She knows?’
‘She does. What little I was able to tell her before we left, anyway. I dare say she’ll have more questions upon our return. What she hasn’t already stayed up late googling, that is.’
Dan grinned. ‘Jesus. Glad I’m not you, Dad.’
‘I’ll keep,’ Marty threw back with a grin so like his son’s Jet was glad she was sitting down.
It was hard to believe only two months ago she hadn’t known these men, this family. Now that she did, she couldn’t imagine not knowing them.
Marty directed his gaze back to Jet and his expression turned serious. ‘You should get some rest. We’re not here to stay.’
Jet nodded. ‘Thank you. I need to. Wait. You’re not driving home again tonight, are you?’ Jet glanced at the clock on the wall in the kitchen. It was after eleven.
‘I’m staying here tonight.’
Jet and Marty both stared at Dan.
He shrugged. ‘If I were Jet, I wouldn’t want to be alone tonight.’ Dan gestured around him. ‘A place this big has to have a guest bedroom somewhere.’
‘The Commissioner has assured Jet there will be a police presence outside,’ Marty said. ‘To answer your question, we were going to stay in a motel for the night.’
‘No, don’t do that.’ The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. ‘I have two guest bedrooms in addition to mine. Please stay here.’
Dan looked at his father. It was obvious he wasn’t going anywhere.
If Marty thought Dan was being presumptuous, he didn’t make light of it. ‘So long as you’re comfortable, Jet. I’ll inform Gordon and let Cynthia know, then get our things. Dan, you might as well stay here.’
Marty left them alone, and Jet stared at her hands resting on her lap.
‘I was going to ask you to stay anyway,’ Jet told Dan.
‘That’s good, because I wasn’t taking no for an answer.’
Jet raised her head to look at him and almost smiled. He was such an intriguing man. Easygoing but determined. Gentle but firm. Funny and likeable. Gorgeous. Sexy.
Aware of where her thoughts were leading, she looked back down at her lap.
Dan stepped in closer and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘I’m not trying to be a control freak like your ex-husband. I know he used to try to boss you around.’
‘What? No!’ Alarmed, Jet met Dan’s gaze and reached for his hand. ‘You’re nothing like him. You couldn’t be like him if you tried. Honestly, I’m glad you’re here.’ So gl
ad it scares me, she thought, but didn’t say it.
‘And I meant what I said,’ Dan continued. ‘I’ll stay in the guest bedroom. You’ve got enough to deal with without having to worry about ...’ He shut his mouth like he’d said too much.
‘Us? This?’ Jet squeezed his hand.
So scared, she thought again, but ignored it. Scared was being in the back seat of that car with three men intent on blackmailing her, hurting her. Dan would never hurt Jet. And whatever this was between them, it might be an unknown for both of them, but it was nothing to be afraid of.
‘You don’t need to stay in the guest bedroom.’
Dan dropped her hand. ‘No. That wouldn’t be right. You’ve just been ... I mean, you need time to ... Shit.’
Jet took his hand again. ‘Dan. You were right. I don’t want to be alone tonight. It would be nice to have someone lying next to me.’
‘Someone? So I’ll do?’
She attempted an offhanded shrug. ‘I guess so. You can hold me if you want.’
‘How about we get a head start?’
Dan pulled Jet into his arms again and she didn’t resist. She let her head rest on his chest and instantly relaxed against him.
No, there was nothing to be scared of when it came to Dan Rhodes. And with his arms around her, it was almost possible to believe there wasn’t evil lurking outside of her apartment, too.
Chapter Thirty
Jet awoke to the irresistible smell of eggs and bacon. Given there hadn’t been much in her fridge yesterday, that meant someone had woken earlier and made a trip to the shop already.
The summer morning was warm. If she’d been alone in the apartment with Dan, she would have wandered out in her pyjamas. Conscious of Marty, Jet put on a T-shirt and a pair of tailored shorts. She didn’t spend long looking at her reflection in the mirror while tying back her hair. The bruising on her face had changed colour overnight and now it was a deep purple, not to mention the swollen area below her eye. No amount of face cream was going to make it right, so Jet didn’t bother and headed towards the kitchen.
The image of Dan cooking greeted her and Jet paused in the doorway to appreciate the sight. He had his back to her, focused on the stove, and was wearing shorts and a T-shirt as well. Jet licked her lips, but wasn’t entirely sure if it was from the smell or the sight of him. He’d always worn jeans or trousers when they’d worked together and she couldn’t help but enjoy the view of his athletic, tanned legs.
It reminded her of last night, just before she’d fallen asleep. She’d been so tired she’d barely been able to keep her eyes open—but not tired enough to miss his toned chest. It had made her heart beat race faster when Dan pulled her against him. It was too hot to sleep in a shirt and feeling his bare skin against her back had been the sweetest torture before she’d surrendered to sleep.
‘Hey.’ Dan turned around with several pieces of bacon resting expertly on a spatula, then winced. ‘That’s some artwork you’ve got going on your face this morning.’
Jet touched her cheek. ‘It’s pretty, isn’t it?’
‘Does it hurt?’ Dan put the bacon onto a plate sitting on the island bench.
‘No worse than last night. I can’t believe I slept so well.’
‘You snored.’
‘I did not!’
‘Did too. Don’t worry, I think it was because your face is swollen. You were drooling on your pillow, too.’
‘Oh my God. Tell me you’re joking?’
Jet pulled out a stool and sat opposite him at the bench. Dan watched, his eyes sparkling. The bright sunshine streaming in the kitchen window made them an almost iridescent blue.
‘All I’ll say is, it’s not the vision I had of Juliet Temple.’
‘That’s good because I’m not Juliet Temple anymore.’
‘Obviously. You’re snoring, drooling Jet Appleton.’
Jet narrowed her eyes in response to his cheeky grin. ‘And that’s not the sort of thing a polite house guest points out to the host.’
‘It’s more polite than the things I wanted to do to you while I was half-naked with you in your bed. I thought it was better I get up and keep busy.’
Jet gripped the side of the stool. Oh boy. The attack yesterday had been truly awful and traumatising, but the way her stomach tightened in response to Dan’s words told her she was going to be alright. Maybe. Provided she was able to spend more time with this man when she was back to her normal self, that was. And she didn’t even know where to begin in broaching that subject, so she didn’t.
‘Well, I approve of your choice of distraction. This smells wonderful. Where’s Marty?’
‘Gone for a walk. It’s not everyday you wake up in a harbourside suburb metres from the water. You woke up at the perfect time, by the way,’ he told her, and turned to remove some eggs from the pan.
Jet watched on in a pleasant silence while Dan plated up the food. Her expression turned to amusement when he produced a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the fridge.
‘Are you serious? Where did you even find a shop open this early on a Saturday?’
Dan pulled a face. ‘I had to go to the bottle shop next to the supermarket. I’m still getting over it.’
‘Snob. Does that mean you’re pouring inferior wine?’
‘Not at all. This is a good label. Trust me.’
‘With bacon and eggs though?’
‘Trust me,’ he repeated. He nodded at her plate. ‘Eat first, then sip.’
Jet did as she was told, as she’d learned to do when it came to anything relating to wine and the Rhodes family. She accepted the glass of white wine, swallowed her food and then took a sip.
‘My God, Dan Rhodes. This is divine. Honestly, I’m going to end up drinking with every meal from now on and that’s not a good thing.’
‘Who says? It’s quality, not quantity. If it’s life affirming, it’s not unhealthy.’
Jet smiled at his choice of words. It wasn’t just the wine. There was something life affirming about Dan himself. The way he always aimed to enjoy the moment was so refreshing. Jet couldn’t remember a time in the past few years when she’d really taken time out to enjoy life.
After her split with Andrew, she’d thrown herself into her business. Not that it was a bad thing because she was genuinely passionate about her business. It had been the one thing in her life to keep her going when the media persisted in writing stories about Andrew’s affair and their subsequent separation for months afterwards. Even so, Jet had never really allowed herself the time to slow down, relax and appreciate the simple things since then.
Probably because she knew if she did, she’d question other things, Jet realised. Like the fact that deep down Jet had been lonely for a very long time. That apart from Edie, she didn’t have many genuine, close friends. Jet had just accepted it was the way life was when you were lucky enough to be among Sydney’s elite.
Lucky.
Luck was an interesting concept. For a time Jet had been married to one of Australia’s wealthiest businessman. Even after that ended, she’d maintained her connections and a good part of her wealth. She’d been lucky.
Yet today she felt luckier than she had in a long time.
‘Uh oh. Was the wine a bad idea?’ Dan reached over and took the glass from her. ‘You look a bit spacey. You didn’t take painkillers, did you?’
‘What? Oh, no, nothing like that. I’m fine. Just thinking.’
‘About last night?’
‘Actually, no. I think my brain has compartmentalised it for now. I probably need time to process it, preferably when I can look in the mirror and my face is normal again. No, I was thinking about us.’
Dan started to set the glass on the bench, then thought the better of it and took a long sip.
Jet laughed. ‘I’ve just made light of the elephant in the room, haven’t I?’
‘She’s pretty and pink and if we’re going to discuss her I should have opened a Rosé.’
‘Huh?’<
br />
Dan shook his head and put the glass down. ‘Forget it. So, us, hey? Do I prove how manly I am and offer for you to go first? Seeing as you raised the subject?’
‘I’m happy to go first. Dan, I don’t quite understand how or why it’s happened, but I can’t imagine you not being in my life.’
Dan’s blue eyes were earnest as he looked at her. ‘Me too. Keep going.’
Jet laughed then quickly sobered. She needed to get this out. ‘And when I imagine you being in my life, it’s not just as a friend. It’s as something more than a friend.’
‘Me too. Keep going.’
Jet fought a grin, but she was secretly filled with relief by his response. ‘I have no idea how we can make it work, because my business is here and I’m not ready to leave it, and your life is in the Hunter Valley and I’d never ask you to give that up, but—’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ he finished. ‘None of it matters. Now it’s my turn to say something, if that’s OK? It’s probably a really inappropriate time to bring up my ex, but it’s relevant. When I decided to end things, it was because I felt my life was in the Hunter Valley and Becca didn’t share that vision. Now I realise since meeting you, it’s because the vision for our relationship wasn’t big enough. If it had been, we’d have overcome those challenges somehow, in some way. But it wasn’t. So I let her go. With you, Jet, you’re my vision. All I see is you. The rest of it—where we live, the jobs we’re passionate about? It doesn’t matter, because we’ll work it out somehow, in some way, with time. All I see is you, Jet, and I don’t want to see anyone else.’
Dan finished and gave jet a sheepish look. ‘Damn it. There I go again. You should have just kept talking and not let me get a word in.’
Jet jumped up from the stool. ‘No! Not at all. It was perfect. You’re perfect.’
She raced around the bench and straight into Dan’s arms.
‘And I’m not perfect.’ Dan’s response was muffled by her hair. ‘I’ll get a big head.’
Jet ignored him. ‘I thought it was just me, thinking these things, feeling like this. I wanted to call you so many times when I got back to Sydney, because it was strange how my home suddenly felt so different. It was like if you weren’t here with me, it didn’t feel like home, which was stupid because you’d never even been here before.’
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