“This investigator any good?” Jackson was filled with the unreasonable urge to go to New York and check things out for himself. Which was totally crazy. He wasn’t an investigator. He was a farmer. But he did know several people who might be able to help him.
Emerald nibbled on her bottom lip. Jackson realized that it was a nervous habit. He smoothed his thumb over her lip, soothing the abused bottom lip. She jerked but didn’t pull away from the small caress. “He’s very good. My father has used him in the past for other things. I figured my sisters would be safer if I left town. I mean, this person seems to be fixated on me, not them.”
He realized that she was looking for some kind of reassurance that she’d done the right thing. “You said that they have a bodyguard?”
“Yes, one each. And they’re keeping their activities to a minimum.”
“Then they should be fine.”
Emerald sighed, her warm breath brushing across his face. “That’s what I thought too.”
Jackson shifted, trying to get more comfortable. Having Emerald in his lap was having a predictable effect on his body. He did his best to ignore the erection pressing against the zipper of his jeans. “Have you made a list of men you know for the police to check out?”
She stiffened in his arms, but he continued to rub her back and arms and she gradually settled back. “Yeah. It was hard though. I mean, I know these people. Or at least, I think I do.” She buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath. “I don’t know anymore.”
“What about that Derek guy you mentioned on the phone?”
Emerald shook her head. “He’s a friend—the son of my parents’ former manager. No, that’s not quite true. He’s more like an overbearing older brother. I’ve known Derek since we were both kids. He’s a successful promoter for big-time musicians and movie stars. Appearance and success mean a lot to him. He’d never do anything to jeopardize what he has.”
“What about the rest of them?”
His anger built slowly as she told him about her ex-boyfriend, Beau Vater, who just happened to run his own computer software company. Then there was Fred Kirby, who was a delivery guy by day and computer geek by night. Finally, there was the odd assortment of acquaintances, people she came in contact with through work and friends of her sisters.
“What about the investigator?”
“Dane Hatcher? What about him?” Her brows were drawn together as she frowned. “He’s not very happy that I disappeared without telling him. Apparently he raked both Sapphire and Topaz over the coals for not contacting him immediately.”
Jackson’s hackles rose immediately. “He knows your father, your family. It would be easy for someone like that to trace phone records and credit cards, maybe hack into your e-mail account.” He shrugged when she continued to frown, his mind working furiously. “Makes sense that if you were having trouble you’d turn to an investigator you knew and trusted.”
“I never thought of that.” She chewed on her bottom lip and Jackson barely swallowed back a groan. The urge to sooth the small hurt with his tongue was almost overwhelming. “He’s probably just worried about me.”
“How old is this guy?”
“Mid to late thirties, I think. Maybe a bit older.” Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath.
“What?” He continued to smooth his palm up and down her spine, as much to relax himself as to soothe her.
“I just thought of something.” She rubbed her hands against her jean-clad thighs. “He asked me out about a year ago, more than once. I turned him down.”
Jackson swore under his breath. “Tomorrow, I want you to sit down and write out all you know about these guys, including Hatcher, and if you can think of any reason why any, or all, of them would be angry with you or possibly hold a grudge of some kind.”
“I already did that for the police.” She stared at him, slightly bewildered by his request. “Well, I included everyone except Dane.”
“Yes, but I know some people who can do a bit of poking around as well. Very discreetly.” Jackson was already planning to call Nathan and Abel tomorrow morning as soon as Emerald left to go shopping with Erin.
“Who? And why would you bother?” Her innocent question stopped him cold.
He cupped her face in his hands and gently skimmed his thumbs over her cheeks. He’d known her less than twenty-four hours, but already it was as if she were a part of him, a part of his existence.
One section of his mind was yelling at him to walk away, to protect himself from the hurt that was bound to come by getting involved with her. Emerald would be going back to her life as soon as the stalker was caught. New York, her sisters and their company were her life.
Another part of him already knew it was too late. He was already involved. Emerald was special and he knew that if he walked away from what might happen between them, he would always regret it.
And yet another piece of him knew that he could never walk away from her, knowing that she was in danger. His overriding instinct was to protect her at all cost.
She was shifting restlessly in his arms and he knew he’d been silent for way too long. “Who? My brother and brother-in-law. Nathan is in law enforcement and Abel has contacts everywhere from his years as a crime writer.” He paused, trying to find the words to make her understand. “Why? There is something between us, Emerald. Something I can’t explain, but I can’t deny it either. Whether it goes anywhere or not, it’s there. I could no more walk away from you now than I could walk away from Erin.”
“But I’m not your sister. I’m not related to you at all.”
Jackson barely swallowed a groan as her hip pressed against his throbbing erection. “Believe me,” he gritted out between his clenched teeth. “I know.”
Chapter Six
Emerald was still trying to digest the fact that this virtual stranger not only was willing, but seemed adamantly determined to help her when he bent his head and brushed his lips across hers. Soft yet firm, they skimmed her bottom and then her top lip. Her mouth parted on a moan and his tongue slipped inside. He tasted of coffee and some hot, male essence that enticed her to give more.
Her fingers crept up the front of his shirt, digging into his wide shoulders for support. She felt lightheaded, as if she were floating on air as she returned his kiss.
His hand stroked over her hip and belly, coming to rest on her torso just beneath her breast. She sucked in a breath, willing his hand to move higher, but he just rested it there as he continued to plunder her mouth. It got harder to breathe, so she tore her lips from his, gasping for air.
Jackson nibbled a path down the line of her jaw and neck. She groaned when he nipped the sensitive skin at the base of her neck where it met her shoulder. The edge of his hand barely grazed the bottom of her breast, but her nipple puckered tight in anticipation. She shifted restlessly, her fingers opening and closing over the firm muscles of his shoulders. She wanted more. Much more. But it was way too soon for that. Wasn’t it?
As if he could read her thoughts, Jackson raised his head, his blue eyes smoldering with desire. “If you don’t want this, then now is the time to go inside.” She could feel the pulse of his erection beating against her hip. “We can forget that this ever happened.”
She bit her lip and swallowed hard. That would be the smart thing to do. The safe thing to do. The sensible thing to do.
Emerald couldn’t wrench her gaze away from his face and she felt herself falling deeper into his amazing eyes. A lock of his reddish-brown hair tumbled down across his forehead and she tenderly brushed it back. He closed his eyes as if he were savoring her touch. His skin was much darker than hers, tanned from years of working under the sun and in the wind. Taken individually, his blunt features weren’t overly handsome, yet they suited his face perfectly, a reflection of the inner man.