He forgot about the remains of their supper on the table, forgot about the fact that she wasn’t here to stay. His daydreams about her remaining with him were shattered the moment he’d seen her work and what people were willing to pay for it. She was too talented to bury herself in the middle of nowhere on a small family farm. But still, he could have her. If only for the time she was here.
His heart beat heavily and he ignored all the warnings in his brain. This woman was already under his skin. It would hurt when she left, regardless, so he might as well take whatever he could get, whatever she would give.
He pulled back and stared down at her. Her face was flushed, her lips red and pouty from his kisses. Her hair was piled on her head, but several long, black tendrils had come free of the knot. He hooked his finger in one of the curls, watching in fascination as it wrapped around him. Her dark brown eyes were wide and uncertain, but beyond that he saw the need, the same deep need that filled him. She wanted him. His body clenched and he lowered his head again.
The phone rang shrilly, shattering the moment. Emerald jumped back so quickly that she would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her. She stumbled against him and then smacked him in the nose with her head when she jerked away.
Swearing, Jackson reached out his hand and snagged the phone. “Connors,” he barked into the receiver. He turned to Emerald and barely swallowed another curse. She had her arms wrapped so tight around herself that her knuckles were white. She was once again closing herself off to him. “It’s your investigator.”
She stumbled forward and took the phone. “Dane?” She stood there listening and nodding for a minute and then hung up the phone.
“Well?” Jackson was in no mood to be pleasant. His dick was as hard as a spike, his balls throbbed and there was no relief in sight. And on top of that, he wanted to know what Hatcher had to say. No matter that Nathan had investigated Dane Hatcher thoroughly, Jackson didn’t trust the man. In this profession, he knew what to do to hide his tracks. The fact he didn’t trust the man had nothing to do with the fact that Hatcher had asked Emerald out.
She shook her head. “There’s no news. He’s still working, but so far, everyone on the list is checking out okay.”
Jackson nodded. It was no more than he’d expected. Unless the stalker was Hatcher himself or he was stupid, and he hadn’t been so far, he wouldn’t have left any obvious clues. They might never find him unless he made some mistake or came after Emerald, either here or when she went home. She couldn’t stay away from her life indefinitely and Jackson was afraid that the stalker was counting on that, waiting patiently for her to return home.
That got him to thinking. “Do you know anything about self-defense?”
She appeared startled by his abrupt change of subject. “Not really.” She started to pile the supper dishes. “I mean, I know as much as most women. Don’t walk in the shadows or on sparsely populated streets, keep your keys between your fingers as a weapon, don’t wear your purse slung over your shoulder if you can avoid it.” She laid the dishes on the counter and faced him. “Why?”
“Because this might not be over before you have to return home.” She paled, all the color leaching from her face. Jackson didn’t want to scare her, didn’t want to be the one to frighten her, but he was also realistic. “This stalker might just wait until you return.”
As he watched, she squared her shoulders and nodded. “I’ve considered that.”
“You need to learn some basic self-defense. It can’t hurt and might help.” He paused and then plowed ahead. He’d started this so he might as well finish it. “I can show you some moves.”
“Really?” He could tell from the look on her face that she was intrigued. He was just glad to see some of the color returning to her cheeks.
“Yeah. Nathan’s had a lot of training over the years and I’ve sparred with him out in the old barn. He can probably give you a few more pointers than me, but I could get you started.” His mind was sorting through what he knew, what would be of the best use to Emerald.
“You’d do that for me?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “Of course.”
“Of course,” she repeated, shaking her head.
The room was closing in around Jackson. He’d almost swear he could smell her arousal even though that should be impossible. His body ached, his mind was racing and his heart was pounding. He had to get away before he did something they both might regret. “I’ll be out in the barn if you decide you want some pointers.”
Shoving the door open, he stepped out into the night. The air was still thick and the sun had a few hours before it sank below the horizon. Ignoring the pair of robins that flew past him, Jackson stalked to the old barn, thankful for the punching bag that hung from the rafters in one far corner. He’d set up the workout area years ago when he and Nathan were still in their teens. He’d never needed it as badly as he did tonight. If he didn’t work off some of his tension, he’d explode.
Chapter Ten
Emerald watched Jackson retreating through the screen door. She leaned against the doorframe, admiring the way his long legs ate up the distance between the house and the barn. Realizing that she was just standing there ogling his fine butt, she made herself turn away and finish clearing the dishes from the table.
Both Jackson and her investigator were right about one thing—the stalker might just decide to outwait her. Dane was working hard, but there were no obvious clues pointing to any one person. Several of the men were being more rigorously investigated, including her ex-boyfriend and Fred, the delivery guy, but that was mainly due to their proximity to her and their skills at computers. In the meantime, Abel and Nathan were still investigating Dane and the rest of the men on the list.
As she thought, she washed and dried the dishes by rote, her mind wandering. It really wouldn’t hurt for her to learn some basic self-defense moves. She probably would have taken a class or something if she’d stayed in New York. It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to spend more time with Jackson. Really, it didn’t.
Grimacing, she hung the dishtowel up to dry. Who was she trying to kid? She wanted to be with Jackson. She was more drawn to him than any other man she’d ever met and it wasn’t just because of his exceptional good looks, although they certainly didn’t hurt. She loved the way he was with his family. If he didn’t see them, he at least talked to them on the phone every day. He was responsible and hardworking and there was no pretension about him. What you saw was what you got. Her parents and sisters would like him.
“Don’t go there,” she muttered to herself as she wiped her hands over the legs of her jeans. She was nervous, which was ridiculous. She’d just go out to the barn and get a few pointers from Jackson about self-defense and that would be that. If they happened to share a kiss or two, all the better.
“You’re losing it, Emerald.” Pushing the door open, she hurried down the steps and across the yard before she talked herself out of this. She had to make a decision, and soon. She couldn’t keep pulling him toward her and then pushing him away. That smacked of being a tease and that wasn’t something she was particularly proud of. Her emotions were just so all over the place.
“Maybe physical release is what you need,” she told herself as she neared the barn. She snorted as her mind immediately jumped to picturing her and Jackson locked in a tight embrace that had little to do with learning defense techniques.
Grunting sounds followed by the rhythmic thud of fists assailed her as she crept to the opening of the barn. She hadn’t been in here yet, but she admitted to being curious. It was a large building, older than the newer ones that Jackson had told her were used to store the apples during the harvest. This older one was used mostly as temporary storage for alfalfa and hay.