Summer Vows (Arabesque)

by Alers, Rochelle

  “That sounds a little pretentious, don’t you think?”

  “Of course,” Ana agreed. “But you have to remember it was another generation. Nowadays it doesn’t matter whether you’re so-called illegitimate or adopted, if you claimed one drop of Cole blood or the surname on your birth certificate says Cole, then you’re one of us.”

  “Where does that put me on the family-tree schematic?” Jacob asked.

  “As a godfather you’re an unofficial Cole. Matthew Sterling was an unofficial Cole even before we knew that his stepson had married my first cousin. Abuelo named him in his will, along with his daughter and stepson. I know you don’t want to talk about money, but if that’s the only way we can show our appreciation then that’s what we do.”

  “What if I want something other than money?”

  Her eyes grew wider. “What would that be?” she asked after a pregnant silence.

  “Maybe a kiss. Or even a hug before I take you back to your bed.”

  Another pause ensued. “Is that all you want?”

  Jacob chuckled under his breath. “I can assure you that I can come up with something else, but I don’t want you to get the wrong impression.”

  “And that is?”

  “Take advantage of you.”

  It was Ana’s turn to laugh. “No, you...” Her words trailed off when without warning she found herself on her back and Jacob straddling her.

  Lowering his head, he fastened his mouth to the column of her neck, breathing a kiss there. “Thank you,” he said in her ear.

  A shiver of awareness eddied throughout her body when the heat from Jacob’s body seeped into hers, and Ana was certain he could feel her trembling. It wasn’t fear that had her heart racing but the sudden rush of desire heating her blood. His nearness was overwhelming as dormant feelings were aroused too, reminding her of how long it had been since a man had made love to her.

  “Jacob.”

  “It’s okay, Princess. Nothing’s going to happen.” He rolled off her body and the bed. Resting his hands at his waist, he watched as she slipped off the bed. His steady gaze bore into her. “Shall I walk you to your bedroom?”

  Ana combed her fingers through her hair. She hadn’t wanted to believe she’d spent the past twenty minutes in bed, wearing nothing more than a nightgown and bikini panties, with a man who disturbed her in every way. “I think I can find my way, thank you. Good night.”

  “Actually it’s good morning.”

  She offered him a dimpled smile. “Good morning, Jacob.”

  He executed a mock bow. “Good morning, Princess.”

  Ana brushed past him, her skin tingling when it touched Jacob’s arm. There was a maddening arrogance about her protector but there was also something maddeningly charming about a man who made her more than aware of why she’d been born female.

  Careful, girl, or you’ll find yourself in over your head. It was as if she could hear Sam’s voice cautioning her about Jacob. And it wouldn’t be the first time her friend had warned her about getting involved with a man.

  She wanted to tell the voice in her head not to worry only because she doubted whether she would live with Jacob long enough to become emotionally involved with her protector.

  Chapter 6

  Ana woke feeling more tired than she did when she’d finally drifted off to the sleep. Rolling over, she peered at the clock on the bedside table; she’d slept away most of the morning. She closed her eyes again, trying to sort out her thoughts. Her mind was in tumult from a disturbing nightmare of someone chasing her. She wasn’t certain whether it was a man or a woman because she couldn’t see their face. Somehow she’d managed to escape her pursuer. Believing she was safe she’d turned a corner only to find a lurking dark-robed figure with a macabre grin waiting for her approach. She’d awakened in a cold sweat, shaking uncontrollably, while biting down on her fist to keep from crying aloud and possibly waking Jacob.

  Ana remembered sitting up and resting her forehead on her knees, while waiting in the darkened room until fatigue claimed her enough to fall asleep again. The dreams returned; however, this time they were different. The erotic images of her in bed with a man, writhing under his kisses and caresses, his warm, moist breath in her ear and his hardness sliding in and out of her body had left her moaning, the area between her legs wet and pulsing, and her glorying in the aftermath of a long-forgotten orgasm.

  Exhaling audibly Ana realized her body wasn’t as tired as her overactive imagination. What she’d found puzzling was that she rarely dreamed or if she did then she hardly ever remembered them. But the nightmare and the erotic dream that followed were burned like a brand into her brain.

  It was nearly eleven and she knew it was time for her to get out of bed. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d slept so late. Even when she didn’t have to go into the office she was up and working out at the health club. Her friends who’d dubbed themselves The Wild Bunch always complained about her getting up with the chickens after they’d partied well into the early-morning hours. What they hadn’t understood was the internal alarm clock that went off whenever the sky brightened with daylight. The exception had been today. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she walked in the direction of the en suite bath.

  Half an hour later Ana walked into the kitchen to find a note pinned to a corkboard. She read Jacob’s barely legible scrawl: Taking Baron to Miami. Will return for dinner.

  Ana smiled. That meant she would have the house to herself for several hours. Opening the refrigerator, she found the container with the ingredients for an omelet. She removed it along with two large eggs, butter and a loaf of wheat bread. Jacob kept a well-stocked refrigerator and freezer. There was another container, this one with marinating chicken. Most of the men she’d dated were so inept in the kitchen they had restaurants on speed dial. Then there was one guy she

  really liked who’d invited her to his home. Her liking quickly turned to revulsion when greeted with the clutter of take-out containers, pizza boxes and piles of dirty laundry scattered about the floor or tossed onto chairs. The “excuse the mess” was something she refused to excuse. And what she didn’t understand was he could afford to hire a cleaning service, but hadn’t deemed it a priority. When she’d asked if he ever cleaned his place his comeback was his girlfriends would pick up after him. Needless to say she never became his girlfriend.

  The house appeared unnaturally quiet without Jacob or Baron around and Ana chided herself for not getting up earlier to see them off. Her gaze drifted to the wall phone, contemplating whether she should call Jason and tell him about her nightmare, then thought better of it. If Jason had believed her in imminent danger he would contact Diego, who in turn would call Jacob.

  Somehow Ana managed to push the frightening images of the nightmare to the furthest recesses of her mind when she went through the motions of preparing what had become brunch. She ate her meal at the table in the kitchen, while thumbing through the current issue of Time magazine. If Jacob hadn’t activated the alarm she would’ve taken her meal outdoors. After two cups of coffee, she cleaned up the kitchen, then made her way to the family room to watch television. Luckily she found a romantic comedy she hadn’t seen and within minutes of the opening credits she found herself laughing so hard she had to raise the volume in order to hear the dialogue.

  * * *

  Jacob maneuvered into the driveway leading to Brian Murphy’s modest home in an upper-middle-class gated Miami suburb. Brian had called him earlier to tell him that he’d returned from his fishing trip and would drive down later that afternoon to pick up his dog.

  He and Brian had gone through basic training together at Parris Island, South Carolina, and although Jacob trusted the security expert, the trust did not extend to making him aware that Ana Cole was living with him—albeit temporarily.

  Baron began
barking as soon Jacob cut off the engine. Brian came out of the house at the same time Jacob pushed a button to open the hatch. “Yes, boy, you’re home.”

  Standing six-six and weighing close to two hundred and sixty pounds, Brian hoisted the crate with the large dog with the ease of lifting a newborn. Jacob winced when he noticed the summer sun had burned his friend’s nose and arms. Seeing the sunburn reminded him to pick up sunblock for Ana.

  Opening the crate, Brian hugged the shepherd when he bounded out, standing on his hind legs. “Welcome home, buddy.”

  Jacob watched man and dog become reacquainted, smiling. Twice-married, the ex-marine captain turned security specialist had professed he always got along better with animals than he did women, and it was apparent when seeing him with his pet.

  Waiting until Baron trotted off and disappeared inside the house, Jacob extended his hand. “What did you catch?”

  Brian’s hamlike hand closed over Jacob’s in a bone-crushing handshake. “A few yellowtail snapper, blue marlin and a mess of porgies. Come on in the house and take what you want.”

  “I’m going to pass on the fish. I just loaded up my freezer and I also plan to do some deep-sea fishing in another couple of weeks.”

  “Still, come on in and rest up before you head back.”

  Jacob shook his head as he stared at the behemoth of a man with the sandy-brown military-style crew cut and laughing brown eyes the color of copper pennies. Brian liked dressing up as Santa for the children whose parents were deployed, and anyone familiar with the former marine corps captain knew his benign appearance was merely a foil for a man trained in mixed martial arts.

  “I’d love to but I have plans to visit my aunt and uncle in Key West.” It was a half truth, because he and Ana weren’t scheduled to leave until the next day. “Maybe next time, my friend.”

  “That’s not going to be for a while. I have a client who’s taking his wife to Mexico City next week to visit her relatives. They plan to be down there for six weeks. I’m also taking a couple of guys with me because of home invasions and the rash of kidnappings going on down there. You know, if you ever get tired of pushing paper, then let me know and I’ll put you on the payroll, Jake. You can make more in three months than Uncle Sam pays you in a year.”

  “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve grown to like pushing paper. It’s much safer than tracking down fugitives or protecting rich folks.”

  Running a hand over the stubble on his chin, Brian gave Jacob a long, penetrating stare. “You have changed, haven’t you?”

  Jacob thought about Brian’s query, wondering if he had changed. And if he did, then how much? And was the change good or bad? “I guess I have,” he said after a noticeable pause.

  “But it’s all good, Jake. One of these days maybe I’ll stop chasing the next rush.”

  It wasn’t until he was back in his truck heading toward the Keys that Jacob thought about what Brian said about looking for a rush. He supposed the man was right because after graduating college he wasn’t certain where he was going or what he wanted to be despite majoring in criminal justice. He’d always planned to join the Miami-Dade P.D., but with the elder Jones’s murder Jacob knew he would not follow in his father’s footsteps. After six months of floundering he decided joining the military would best suit his temperament.

  He’d gotten up one morning, walked into the marine corps recruiting office and signed up. He went through basic training, giving the corps six years. Once discharged he was recruited to join the U.S. Marshal Service. Jacob had become what he’d tried to elude—a police officer. What he soon discovered was that he loved law enforcement: tracking down fugitives, stakeouts, and the ultimate gratification of capturing, cuffing and reading dangerous criminals their Miranda rights.

  One thing he knew: he was good at what he’d been trained to do. So good that he was promoted and rose quickly through the ranks. Being assigned a desk position was an answer to his mother’s prayers. Gloria’s greatest fear was that his life would mirror her husband’s; that he would die in the line of duty.

  Jacob stopped at his apartment, and while there adjusted the central air-conditioning. Jacob had asked his landlady to periodically check on his place, and apparently she’d lowered the temperature until it was bone-chillingly cold.

  “Oh, Mr. Jones, you’re back.”

  Jacob turned to find his landlady standing in the doorway. The middle-aged woman with a boyish-cut hairstyle nervously touched the keys hanging from a large ring.

  “I’m not really back, Mrs. Stokes. I had some business nearby, but I’m leaving now.”

  Imogene Stokes smiled at Jacob. “I’ve been checking on your place like you asked.”

  “And I thank you for that.”

  “Do you want me to get someone to come in and dust? I know you like everything nice and clean,” she added when he glared at her.

  “I’d rather you not.” Mrs. Stokes knew he was adamant about not letting strangers into his apartment, so he wasn’t certain why she would ask him that. “Other than you and your husband, I don’t want anyone else in my place. Am I clear about that?”

  Pinpoints of color dotted the older woman’s cheeks. “Of course, Mr. Jones. I would never let someone in your apartment without your permission.”

  A smile had replaced his scowl. “As long as we understand each other.”

  Imogene knew her best tenant worked for the Department of Justice, he paid his rent on time, came and went without much notice, and whenever he had company they never made a lot of noise like some of the other tenants. She knew he carried a gun and that was the reason why she’d rented him the apartment. Having someone around who was authorized to carry a firearm made her feel safer, and knew she could call on him for assistance in the event of an emergency.

  “Have a good day, Mr. Jones.”

  “The same to you, Mrs. Stokes.”

  Waiting until the woman left and closing the door behind her, Jacob pulled out his cell phone, tapped speed dial and waited for a break in the connection. He’d dialed Diego’s private number.

  “Good afternoon, ColeDiz International. Mr. Cole-Thomas’s office.”

  “Caitlin, this is Jacob. Is Diego available?”

  “Hold on, Jacob. He said to put you through whenever you call.”

  He counted off the minutes until Diego’s voice came through the earpiece. “Hey, Jake. What’s up?”

  “That’s what I want to know. Has anything changed?”

  “There’s been no further info on the shooter.”

  “Any leads on who’s behind it?” Jacob asked.

  “Not yet, but contact has been made with one of Irvine’s employees. Let’s hope it provides a lead. How’s Ana?”

  “She’s adjusting.”

  “I hope she’s not being too difficult,” Diego said with laughter in his voice.

  It was Jacob’s turn to laugh. “She’s fine, Diego.”

  “That’s a first.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Ana’s the type that if you ask her to slow down, she’ll speed up. If you tell her to go right, she’ll go left. I suppose that’s what makes her successful; she always pushes herself to the next level. I’d tried to get her to work for ColeDiz but she’s too obsessed with the music industry.”

  Jacob didn’t want to take sides only because he wouldn’t have wanted anyone to determine the direction his life would take. Although his mother had always voiced her disapproval of him going into law enforcement he’d followed what he thought was his destiny. His paternal grandfather had been in the first graduating class to integrate the Miami-Dade P.D. His father had followed and his uncle had joined the DEA, and there cousins who worked for ATF, the FBI and other police departments in cities throughout the country.

  Apparently it was the same wi
th Ana. She’d made a decision to go into the music industry instead of working for ColeDiz. He admired her independence, her tenacity and that she’d retained her femininity despite the responsibility of running a company.

  “What you should want is for Ana to be happy and content doing what she does best.”

  There was thirty seconds of silence before Diego said, “You’re right, Jake.” He launched into an update on what was going on with Serenity Records.

  Jacob digested this new information. “Call me if anything else changes.”

  “I will,” Diego confirmed.

  He ended the call, pondering his response to his houseguest’s cousin. Why, he thought, was he defending Ana when she was more than capable of standing up for herself? After all, she was neither afraid nor reticent when it came to speaking her mind. That’s what he liked about her. It wasn’t all he liked about her, but it was what he’d permitted himself to acknowledge.

  Sitting together sipping café con leche was acceptable. Taking her to his bed wasn’t, although nothing had happened between them. Even after she’d gone upstairs to her own bed the scent of her perfume lingered on the sheet and pillows, and it was as if she were still there.

  Jacob knew he had to be very careful not to cross the line with Ana. Diego had asked him to protect her, not take advantage of her. He’d also taunted and insulted Ana when he’d talked about needing female company. Something he’d regretted mentioning because that wasn’t his style. Leaving her alone in Long Key wasn’t something he would’ve done under a different set of circumstances, yet he hadn’t wanted Brian to know she was living with him. He locked up the apartment, planning to make one more stop before heading back.

  * * *

  Ana put aside the book she’d been reading when she detected the sound of a car’s engine. Moving quickly, she raced up the staircase to her bedroom. Her heart was beating double-time when the bedroom door opened slowly. Never had she been so relieved to see Jacob when he walked into the room.