John scrutinized Topaz as she ate her soup. She even did that with style, her movements graceful and precise. She looked a little pale and very tired. The circles under her eyes were getting darker with each passing day. He knew she wasn’t sleeping, had heard her tossing and turning in her bed at night while he’d slept in the room next to hers. He’d wanted to go to her, take her into his arms, and make love to her until she was too tired to stay awake.
But he couldn’t. Not until the job was done.
He’d spent months trying to forget Topaz Jewel, desperately trying to get her out of his system. It hadn’t happened. If anything, her absence in his life made him want her all the more. He was forty years old and knew himself better than most and he knew that his attraction to Topaz wasn’t going away anytime soon.
He also knew she wasn’t happy about being attracted to him. A less-confident man might have slunk off to nurse his hurt pride. But he wasn’t most men, and he was confident that, with time and effort, he could make her see how good it could be between them. Wouldn’t be easy to do once his job was done. She’d go back to her life and do her best to avoid him. Again.
He needed time. As he ate, he mulled over the plan he’d set in motion several days ago. Topaz might be mad as hell at him at first, but he was willing to take the chance.
John watched her sip her soup and was grateful she was eating something. She’d lost weight over the past few weeks and she was already slender to begin with. He wanted to take care of her, to shoulder some of her burdens. It was frustrating as hell for him to watch her handle her business, the trial and the media hoopla by herself. She was a strong woman, but he wouldn’t be attracted to a weak one. He loved the way her mind worked, how she always had an opinion on everything from politics to movies and all subjects in between.
The silence between them wasn’t awkward, but comfortable. He knew she was thinking about the trial. He was just glad she was eating and didn’t want to say anything that might disrupt that. When she pushed away her plate, which still had about three-quarters of her sandwich on it, he knew she was done. He finished the last of his coffee. “Ready?”
“Yes.” She stood and picked up her coat. He held it for her and she murmured her thanks as he slid it on. He paid the check and ushered her back to the car.
With ideas still spinning in his head, he drove them back to the courthouse, this time parking in a lot next door. He’d already scoped out the back entrance. “It will soon be over,” he reminded her as he helped her out of the car.
“I know.” She looked sad for a moment and he squeezed her hand to reassure her. She might think differently now, but he wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter Three
Topaz closed her eyes and sank back into the headrest on the car’s passenger side. It was finally over. The jury’s verdict had come in and her sister’s stalker was going to be locked up for a long time. A weight she hadn’t even known was there slid from her shoulders. Life could finally get back to normal.
She turned her head and opened her eyes to gaze at John. This was their last day together. Once he drove her home and dropped her off, he would no longer be her bodyguard. Officially, he was finished with the job, but he’d insisted on taking her back to New York.
John Knight always completed an assignment.
The bitterness in that last thought surprised her and she realized she didn’t want to just be another job for him. She turned her head away, sighed and stared out the window, watching the rugged landscape pass by. Now she was just being stupid. She and John might have set the sheets on fire that one afternoon last year, but there wasn’t much between them to sustain a long-term relationship.
“That was a big sigh.”
His deep voice slid over her skin like a lover’s caress and she shivered. Topaz pulled her coat more tightly around her. “It’s hard to believe it’s finally over.” The long months of media coverage and speculation would finally end. She gave it a week before the reporters and photographers were on to another juicier story.
He was the most observant man she’d ever known and she wasn’t surprised when he reached out and turned up the heater, angling the vent so it blew toward her. He’d seen her shiver and had misinterpreted it, for which she was supremely grateful. Better for him to think she was chilly than turned-on by the sound of his voice.
“It’s been hard on all of you.” He gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “Why don’t you try to get some rest? It’s a long drive.”
The sleepless nights were catching up with her and the heat only added to her lethargy. Topaz closed her eyes and let the steady roll of the tires on the pavement lull her. She yawned once, settled more comfortably against the seat and drifted off.
John glanced over toward Topaz a few minutes later and was satisfied she was asleep. He didn’t like the dark circles beneath her eyes and worried about her overall health. Whether she knew it or not, she needed a few days of rest and relaxation before she stepped back into the busy grind of her normal life.
He grinned when he imagined her reaction to his plan. She wasn’t going to like it. Not one bit. But she needed it. She’d pushed herself hard these past weeks, trying to juggle a successful business and the hoopla surrounding her family. She was one classy lady and he admired the hell out of her.
She was also the most frustrating woman he’d ever met. He knew that better than anyone, save maybe her sisters, and he could practically see the walls she was rebuilding between them. She was getting ready to boot him out of her life again. This time he wasn’t going. Not without a fight.
His fingers tightened around the wheel and he took a deep breath. Immediately, he caught a whiff of her sweet scent. It was some light, floral blend that he always associated with Topaz and it never failed to give him a hard-on. It wasn’t perfume, but the lotion she used after she showered.
He’d spent many hours listening to the water running in her bathroom and picturing her wet and naked in the shower. And he didn’t have to stretch his imagination. He knew what she looked like with no clothes on.
He cursed under his breath as his cock sprang to life as if on cue. Only Topaz could do this to him. He was forty years old, for fuck’s sake. His body didn’t do anything without his express permission these days. But his dick didn’t listen to him one bit. Not when it came to the beauty sleeping next to him.
Traffic was thick, but he maneuvered the vehicle easily, making the unscheduled turnoff. Oh yeah, she was going to be spitting mad when she woke up. His jaw tightened with determination. She’d have to get over it. He deserved a chance to show her how good they could be together. They deserved a chance.
John had no idea why she dated men she could easily keep at a distance. He’d watched her flirt and smile at men, but she never let her emotions become involved. She remained unruffled and always in control of the situation.
Except for that one day last year, where she’d lost control and given herself to him in one glorious afternoon of loving. It was the memory of that fateful afternoon that gave him hope and assured him he was doing the right thing.
He rubbed the back of his neck as he turned off onto a secondary rural road. Traffic was almost nonexistent now and the distance between towns grew. The forest seemed to reach out for them and the road narrowed even more as he drove.
He could only hope she wouldn’t have him arrested when all this was done. After all, it wasn’t every day that a bodyguard kidnapped his client.
Topaz was jarred awake and it took her a few minutes to remember she was in a car on her way home. They hit another bump and she opened her eyes and peered out the window. She frowned as she looked at the surrounding area. There were rolling hills and forests and a low mountain peak in the distance.
“Where are we?” She rubbed her face, trying to fight off the muzzy feeling that clung to her. Had they had to take some kind of detour?
John ignored her and wrestled with the steering wheel, moving them along the rutted path.
> Amusement pulled at her lips. Maybe he was lost and didn’t want to admit it. Men were like that. But that didn’t make sense either. The car was equipped with the latest in GPS technology.
“John?”
“We’re almost there.” He glanced at her and his stern expression softened slightly. “How are you feeling?”
She ran her fingers through her short hair and rolled her shoulders. “Good. I didn’t mean to sleep for so long.” The sun was sinking in the sky and night would soon be upon them.
A small, rustic cabin came into view, the car headlights reflecting off the weathered wood. A porch ran the length of the house and there was a swing situated on the far end. It was quite charming, if you liked that sort of thing. She was more of a city girl.
Or she was now. She’d grown up with hippie parents on a large rural estate. She and her sisters had run wild in the surrounding woods. Plus, her parents had loved camping and, when they were kids, the family had often done so.
Shaking off the sense of nostalgia, she frowned when John stopped in front of the cabin. “Where are we and why are we here?” What had happened while she’d been sleeping?
He turned off the ignition, pulled out the key and pocketed it. “We’re in upstate New York and this place belongs to me.” He opened the door and slid out, stretching after the long drive. He closed the door and came around to the passenger side.
Dusk was falling quickly and with the car lights off it was getting harder to see. John pointed at her lock and she reluctantly opened her door. “I don’t understand. Why are we stopping here? We should be on the road home to the city.”
He scowled and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “We’re not going to the city.”
Topaz pulled her wits around her, thankful for the brisk breeze chilling her skin. It pushed the remnants of her long nap away and left her more levelheaded. “Of course we are. I have to work in the morning.” She’d been away for almost a week now and was eager to get back. Yes, she trusted Susie, her assistant manager, to run the boutique. But she longed to get back to what was familiar, what she knew.
He clasped her hand with his, tugged her out of the car and toward the cabin. “No, we’re not.”
Topaz dug in her heels until he had no choice except to stop. “What is going on? I want an answer and I want it now.” In her experience, it was better to be firm when dealing with men. She shifted her weight and one of her heels sank into the soft dirt. She stumbled slightly and his arm came around her shoulders, catching her before she could fall.
“Careful. I don’t know how you walk in those things in the city, but those shoes definitely weren’t made for the country.”
Before she realized his intent, he’d swept her off her feet and into his arms. He strode toward the front porch of the cabin and up the two steps to the door. He set her on her feet again, but kept one of her hands gripped in his. She could feel the tension in his muscles, sense the underlying unease surrounding him.
Now she was starting to get worried. What in the name of God was he doing?
John pulled out his keys, fitted one of them in the lock and opened the door. He pulled her inside and shut the door with a heavy thunk. The air inside was fresh, not musty, as though someone had recently aired the place out. The scent of pine-scented cleaner filled the room.
He released her briefly to turn on a switch. At least there was electricity. For that, she was extremely grateful. The room was large, a combination living area, kitchen and dining room all in one. The furniture was overstuffed and looked well-worn but comfortable. There were no knickknacks or personal items to soften the stark space. No pillows on the sofa and only a few tattered paperbacks on the shelf. It was spartan and obviously male.
Topaz’s patience had run out. She crossed her arms over her chest, drew herself up to her full height, using every inch of the three-inch pumps she was wearing to make herself even more authoritative. “I want to know what’s going on, and I want to know now.”
John stood before her in a pair of jeans that he’d obviously had for a while. They fit him like a second skin and were slightly faded in the knees and crotch area. Not that she was looking there. Of course, she wasn’t.
She pulled her gaze up toward his face. His leather jacket creaked slightly when he moved, revealing a tight black T-shirt beneath. His face was half in shadow and half in light, giving him a menacing look. She swallowed and took a half step back before she stopped herself.
She was being silly now. This was John, the man she trusted with her life.
Tension permeated the room until her nerves were stretched to the max. They stared at one another, neither of them blinking. Topaz was beginning to feel as though they were in a standoff of some kind, and she was determined not to give an inch.
John was the kind of man who could overwhelm a woman if she wasn’t careful. He wasn’t a bully, quite the opposite in fact. He’d be very protective of a woman if he cared for her, but his dominant personality would be hard for any woman to stand up to and he would gently but inexorably steamroll her into doing whatever he wanted.
“Well?” She couldn’t stand the silence any longer. She tapped the toe of her Christian Louboutin pumps against the wood floor and glared at him.
He took another step toward her and this time she held her ground. A smile played at the corners of his mouth. Topaz was suddenly overheated as memories of his mouth sliding over her neck, teasing her breasts and tasting between her thighs swamped her. This was no time for her to allow those erotic memories to come to the fore.
He raised one hand and slid his fingers over her cheek and she had to struggle not to close her eyes and simply sink into the gentle caress. “It’s simple, really.” He dropped his hand back to his side and she immediately missed his warmth.
Her hands tightened into fists to keep from smacking him. The man was making her crazy with his cryptic answers. “What’s simple?”
“I’ve kidnapped you.”
At first she didn’t think she’d heard him properly. She shook her head at him, certain she was mistaken. “You what?”
He put his hands on his hips and widened his stance, which made him appear even larger. “You heard me. I kidnapped you.”
“You can’t do that.” It was ludicrous. Absurd. He was a professional bodyguard for heaven’s sake.
“I already have.” He raked his fingers through his short hair and let out a large sigh. “Look, you’re tired and you need a few days rest.”
“I can do that at home.” She glanced around the cabin. “Probably better there than here.”
His eyes narrowed, and if his jaw clenched any tighter she was afraid he might damage his teeth. “I know it’s not what you’re used to.”
It struck her that she’d hurt his feelings. That he thought she was rejecting the cabin because it was rustic.
“Don’t be an idiot, John. It’s got nothing to do with the cabin. It’s lovely and has a rustic charm. But I have to get home.” It was sweet of him to want to give her a few days away. Really it was. But she didn’t have the time for it.
She ignored the pang of regret that gripped her and carried on. “We need to get back on the road.” She glanced at her watch. It would be late by the time they reached the city so she would cut herself some slack in the morning and go into work late.
“No.” His one-word reply brought her internal plans to a screeching halt.
“What do you mean, no? If you don’t want to drive, just give me the keys and I will.” She held out her hand, but he ignored it.
“No, I’m not taking you back to the city tonight.” He clasped her shoulders and pulled her toward him. She placed her hands on his chest to keep some distance between them.
“I don’t understand, John. Why not? Your job is finished and it’s time for both of us to get on with our lives.” She swallowed hard at the thought of never seeing him again.
The weeks they’d spent together had passed so quickly. Having a full-time bodygua
rd should have been an ordeal, but having John around hadn’t bothered her half as much as she’d thought it would. He’d slid seamlessly into her life until he seemed a part of it.
And that was the biggest danger of all. She could easily come to depend on him, and that just wouldn’t do.
“You’re right about that.” His fingers flexed around her shoulders. “The job is over so I can finally do this.”
He swooped down and caught her lips with his. His tongue plunged into her mouth and staked a claim. Heat suffused her body, racing in hot streams to her breasts and between her legs. Her fingers curled inward around his shirt and held him tight. His tongue boldly stroked hers. Not to be outdone, she did the same as their tongues dueled for supremacy.
When she finally tore her mouth away, she was breathless and more confused than ever. “This is insane.”
He shook his head. “No. This is the only thing that makes sense. I want you, Topaz.” He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the back of the sofa. Then he reached for her coat.
She took a step back and held the coat closed. “This is not a good idea.”
He cocked his head to one side and studied her. His eyes were burning with lust. She felt scorched by his gaze. “What are you so afraid of?” His gentle tone was at odds with the sexual tension that gripped him. His large body practically vibrated and she was torn between running from him and throwing herself into his arms.
He was the only man she’d ever met who confused her to such an extent. She had plans. Ambitions. And they didn’t include having a husband or a significant other, at least not yet. And even when the time came, she would settle down with a nice, ordinary man—a businessman—one she could easily understand. Not someone intense and demanding like John Knight.
“I can practically see the wheels turning in your pretty head. You’re already pulling away from me and putting up walls between us. Once we hit the city, you’ll find every excuse not to see me again.”
He tugged on her coat until she was forced to fight him or let him have it. She didn’t want to fight, so she let him have her coat. The time had come for one of them to be sensible about the situation. “You know as well as I do that great sex doesn’t make a relationship.”
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