Cautious Lover

by Stephanie James

  “Elly?”

  “I love you, Jess.”

  His hands softened on her. “I know, honey, I know.” He set her gently on the bed and came down beside her, gathering her closely. “I’ll take care of you and your love, Elly Trent. I swear it.”

  He didn’t call her a witch again. As she lay in bed a long while later, Elly reminded herself that Jess hadn’t called Marina’s name or seen her face while he was mak­ing love. If the other woman still haunted him, at least he hadn’t brought her out into the open tonight. As she snuggled down into the comforting heat of his body and closed her eyes, Elly told herself that there was no way Jess could have made love with such passionate intensity if he’d been thinking of another woman.

  She thought briefly of explaining exactly what had happened on the lonely, foggy road that night but de­cided there was nothing to be gained except a violent confrontation. The last thing she wanted to do was in­volve Jess in another such scene. She had no doubt that he would put the worst possible interpretation on the sit­uation if she were to tell him how Damon Carrington had conveniently happened along shortly after her car had run out of gas. He might have been right, she admitted sleepily. Combined with the evidence of the mischief-making message Damon had apparently sent to Jess, that business out on the road was a little too much of a coin­cidence.

  Had Carrington really thought that he could casually pick her up, take her somewhere for the night and se­duce her? Had he actually thought she would allow him to do it? The man must have an ego the size of a football field. Well, she had proven she could take care of herself where Carrington was concerned. There was no point bringing in the heavy guns and risking genuine violence. Elly went cold at the thought. It seemed much smarter to keep Jess and Damon separated.

  Just as it had the last time Jess had spent the night, the phone rang early the next morning. Elly blinked herself awake even as Jess shoved back the covers.

  “Damn,” he said. I’ll get it. We’re going to have to start leaving your phone unplugged at night.” He paced toward the door, not bothering to collect any clothes en route. Arrogantly unconcerned with his own nakedness, he stalked out into the hall, heading for the stairs,

  Elly watched him leave, bemused by the novelty of waking up with a man in her bed. She really had led a quiet life until Jess came along, she thought, yawning. All things considered it had remained fairly quiet for a cou­ple of months after he had come along, too! Things had definitely changed last night.

  She could hear his voice faintly as he responded to the caller. Elly was content to stretch grandly and take her time about heading for a shower, until she realized that Jess’s muffled tones were sounding cold and impatient.

  Frowning, Elly sat up and pushed back the comforter, trying to listen. When she heard the name Trentco, she was jolted into full wakefulness. Hastily she scrambled out of bed, grabbed her robe and started for the stairs. She was in time to catch the last of Jess’s conversation with her Aunt Clara. He was speaking crisply, with more than a faint trace of aloof arrogance.

  “That won’t be necessary, Mrs. Gaines. I’ve got all the resources I need at my disposal. Advising people in situ­ations such as this is my business and I’m good at it.” There was a pause while Clara Gaines apparently tried to argue. “Don’t bother. Elly will have me to consult. I’ll be handling the matter for her, and I’ll make sure she reaches the right decision. For the record, as her con­sultant in this deal, I’d like to point out that I don’t want her hounded anymore. In other words, no more seven am. phone calls. We high-priced financial wizards get irritated by early-morning calls.”

  “Jess!” Elly stood clutching the lapels of her robe, trying to get his attention. “Jess, get off the phone. Let me talk to her. This isn’t your concern.”

  But Jess ignored her as he responded to Aunt Clara’s next remark. “I wouldn’t worry too much about her offbeat life-style, Mrs. Gaines. It doesn’t impact her ability to vote her shares in Trentco, and that’s the only aspect of it you have to concern yourself with, isn’t it? I’ll look forward to meeting you next Monday at the stock­holders’ meeting. What’s that? Of course, I’ll be attend­ing as Elly’s adviser. Should be interesting. Goodbye, Mrs. Gaines.”

  He threw the phone carelessly back down into its cra­dle and turned to eye Elly with an indulgently lifted brow. “What’s the matter, honey? You look as if one of those sharks you’re always worrying about just swam ashore.”

  “Jess, you shouldn’t have interfered. You have no right to involve yourself. What was all that nonsense about your being my consultant? This is very messy, very com­plicated family business and I really don’t think you should just, well, invite yourself into it.”

  “I realize it involves your family, Elly,” he said placatingly, “but it also involves you, and it involves busi­ness finance. Both are areas in which I’m an expert. That gives me the right to act as your consultant.”

  “Expert! You’re not an expert on me, for heaven’s sake!” She gestured wildly, lost control of the robe and had to make a quick grab for it, which effectively ruined the impact of the gesture. “You think one night in bed somehow gives you the right to make my business deci­sions for me? Well, you’re wrong. I’ve been dealing with this family for a long time, and I can handle the situa­tion on my own. I don’t need any high-priced financial consultant taking over for me. Stay out of this, Jess. If I want your advice, I’ll ask for it.”

  He studied her for a long moment, taking in the ruf­fled chaos of her hair, the comfortable old robe and the militant gleam in her eyes.

  “Elly, don’t be ridiculous. Why should you walk into that meeting alone on Monday? It’s going to be you against the rest of them, and they’re going to be furious if you don’t vote the way they want you to vote. Why face it all by yourself when you’ve got me?”

  “It won’t be just me. Harrigan’s on my side,” she re­minded him huffily.

  “Oh, yes, Harrigan. The CEO. That reminds me, I want to give him a call this afternoon.” Absently Jess glanced around the room until he spotted a pencil and a notepad. Bending down, he jotted himself a quick mes­sage and dropped the pencil.

  “Jess, please, listen to me.” Elly decided to stop ar­guing and try the reasonable approach. “Harrigan and I will be fine. Aunt Clara and the gang aren’t going to chew me up, you know. There’s absolutely nothing they can do if I decide to vote against them.”

  “They can put a hell of a lot of pressure on you, make you feel guilty, make you distrust your own judgment. Believe me, Elly, I’ve seen people in this kind of situa­tion. Even the normally mild-tempered ones can turn into cobras if they see profits slipping through their fingers.”

  The reasonable approach gave way to pleading. “Please, Jess, don’t get involved. Can’t you under­stand? I don’t want you involved!”

  He stepped forward and drew her into his arms. “I understand what you’re saying. What I can’t figure out is why you’re saying it. I’m your lover, and soon I’m going to be your husband. Why are you trying to keep me out of family business?”

  Elly tried desperately to find the words to explain her fears, but in the end she couldn’t bring herself to say them aloud. Maybe Jess didn’t see what was happening, but she certainly did and it terrified her.

  She could see him letting himself being dragged into an unpleasant, potentially nasty family-business situation just as he had been when he’d married Marina Carring­ton. True, the circumstances were different, but the es-sense of the situation was the same. It hinged on money. Jess had already been burned on the subject of family and money. She vividly remembered what he’d told her about having to bail Damon Carrington out of one fi­nancial disaster after another.

  Jess didn’t even realize how awkward things could get. If Trentco wasn’t sold, Aunt Clara and the rest would probably insist that Elly’s “financial consultant” offer a great deal of free financial advice to the firm. From their point of view, he would have
been responsible for keep­ing them from realizing a quick, sure profit. He would therefore be expected to compensate by ensuring a long-term profit.

  If he chose not to cooperate, there would be endless recriminations, badgering and pleas. If he did cooper­ate, there would be demands, phone calls, arguments and petty complaints. And there were certain members of the Trent family who were not above asking for a loan. Shades of Damon Carrington. The unpleasantness would never go away because families never go away. Elly knew that for a fact. She had moved as far from her relations as possible, and she still couldn’t escape from them.

  Last night, when she had provoked Jess, he had called her a witch, the same term he used so disparagingly for his dead ex-wife, If she allowed him to get involved in her family financial problems, how long would it be before he would resent the ceaseless demands? How long be­fore he would realize she was causing him as much trou­ble as the Carringtons had once caused him?

  Elly realized with a sense of nervous dread that she was fighting for Jess’s love. She wanted nothing to remind him of the past. If she was to have any chance at all of getting him to take the risk of loving her, she would have to shield him from certain elements in her world.

  Above all, she must not say or do the things that would make him think of her as another witch, and she must not allow him to be pulled into another nasty, vicious family-business situation.

  “Jess,” she said with grave dignity, “this doesn’t con­cern you. Please don’t worry about it or about me. I’ll be fine.” She turned on her heel and climbed the stairs to her bedroom.

  Six

  Maybe he’d come down too heavily on her this morning when he’d warned Elly again about steering clear of Carrington. Jess’s eyes narrowed as he guided the Jag­uar toward Portland and thought of Elly’s uncertain mood.

  No, he’d given her the lecture just before leaving, and she’d been in an odd temper long before that.

  Perhaps she was upset by the unexpected manner in which their relationship had been altered overnight. They were lovers now. Jess tasted the words with a sense of deep satisfaction. About time. He should never have waited this long. There had been nothing to be wary of, after all. He still felt totally in control of the affair. More so, to be perfectly honest, than he had before making love to her.

  He had Elly’s sweetly passionate nature to thank for his sense of sureness about her. She gave herself so completely, so trustingly, all softness and heat and feminine need. Jess’s hands tightened abruptly on the wheel as the images floated again through his mind. Wryly amused at his own reaction to the memories, he forced himself to relax and go back to the main problem.

  Elly was trying to resist some element of their rela­tionship, and he couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t the sexual side of things. He’d proven that to himself last night. The truth was she hadn’t resisted that aspect from the beginning. She would have come to him any time. All he would have had to do was beckon and she would have flown into his arms. He should have started beckoning two months ago. Ah well, live and learn. That angle was settled now, anyway. It wasn’t the source of the prob­lem, he felt sure.

  So why was she so nervous around him this morning? Why the temper over the way he’d handled the call from Clara Gaines? When he’d told Elly he’d not only be ad­vising her on the Trentco matter, but that he’d accom­pany her to California, she’d really become withdrawn.

  It was that strange withdrawal that annoyed him. It was as if Elly were trying to keep him out of a part of her life. He didn’t like it, and what irritated him most was that he didn’t understand it. Why fight him in that area when she welcomed him so passionately in others? Jess frowned, automatically bringing the Jag smoothly out of a tight curve, and asked himself what the hell was going on. Whatever it was, he intended to get to the bottom of it soon.

  In the meantime he had work to do. Aunt Clara promised to be a real dragon, and the rest of the family probably followed her lead. He’d get in touch with Har­rigan, the CEO, as soon as he got back to Portland. There was another task waiting for him this afternoon, too. He wanted to call the very exclusive, very reliable firm of investigators he had hired on Monday.

  Elly made one last, weak attempt to stay the inevita­ble that night when Jess called to tell her the results of his conversation with Matt Harrigan.

  “You were right when you said he seemed to know what he’s doing, Elly. He’s going to use Trentco as a ba­sis for building his reputation as the kind of executive officer who can rescue struggling firms. That’s a good incentive. He’s more than happy to work on a bonus plan, which means he won’t make big money unless he’s successful. Seems to have a solid knowledge of Trentco’s problems and assets, and last but least, he isn’t in­timidated by Aunt Clara and the crowd.”

  Elly listened to the summing up of Matt Harrigan’s strong points. A part of her was deeply relieved to know her intuition had been correct. “I’m glad you think he’s a good person to have at the helm. Since you’re confi­dent of his abilities, you must see there’s really no need to go down to California with me. I can handle the meeting.”

  “Forget it, Elly. I don’t want you facing that crowd alone and that’s final. Now, I’ve arranged our flight out of Portland for Saturday afternoon. You can have Sarah Mitchell take over the store for you. You’ve used her be­fore to cover the place, as I recall. You were going to have her open for you on Monday, anyway. I’m sure she’ll be glad of the extra day’s work. I’ll expect you here in Portland sometime before noon. Don’t be late. The plane leaves at one-thirty and I don’t want any last-minute snafus.”

  Elly winced at the stream of directives. There was clearly no stopping Jess. Irritably, she leaned back against the sofa and crossed her jeaned legs on the foot­stool. She glared at the opposite wall, listening to the list of instructions.

  A collection of ivy plants occupied an old wooden bench that was positioned against the wall. The vines cascaded in rich abundance all the way to the floor. From where she was sitting, Elly could see the handle of the paring knife she had again borrowed from the kitchen to use for gardening work. If Jess could have seen it sitting there he would have had a few pithy things to say. “How many times have I told you, you never know when you’re going to need a sharp knife?” It was probably distinctly juvenile to take this much satisfaction out of having de­fied him in one small department.

  When Jess finally halted to ask if she had it all down, she answered him a little too smoothly. “Yes, sir. I’ve got it all written in indelible ink on the back of my hand. Be in Portland by noon. Don’t be late. Get Sarah to cover the store. Does it occur to you Jess that I managed to survive for thirty years without you to schedule me?”

  There was a pause from the other end of the line. Elly had the distinct impression Jess was deciding just how to deal with her unexpected flippancy. She’d probably re­gret it, herself, later. But right now she was feeling frus­trated and a little angry.

  “Something wrong with my schedule?” Jess finally asked calmly.

  “You know there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just the principle of the thing, I guess.”

  “Elly, why are you so reluctant to let me help you with the Trentco problem?”

  She tried to think of a reasonable answer and finally decided to hint at the truth. Taking a deep breath, Elly said quietly, “Has it occurred to you that if you get in­volved in Trentco at this stage there might be a lot of pressure from Aunt Clara and the gang later? They can be a very demanding bunch, Jess. Very difficult.”

  “Is that what’s worrying you? Forget it. Aunt Clara and the crowd are bunny rabbits compared to some of the stockholders I’ve dealt with in the past. Which reminds me. I called your aunt and told her we would be taking her and the others out to dinner Saturday evening.”

  Elly jerked upright. “You did what?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Jess, that’s positively the last thing I feel like doing! You had no right.
What’s the point, anyway? For heav­en’s sake, this is my family problem, not yours.”

  “I decided it would be a courtesy to gather them to­gether and explain your position and why you were going to vote not to sell. I’ll lay out the facts and figures for them.”

  “Harrigan and I have already beaten them over the head with facts and figures!”

  “That’s the whole point,” Jess said patiently. “Com­ing from me, maybe it will make more of an impres­sion.”

  Visions of Saturday evening degenerating into a screaming match boggled Elly’s mind for a fraught mo­ment or two. Frantically, she tried to think of counter arguments, but Jess was already pursuing another line of thought.

  “Do you realize,” he was saying with a touch of an­ticipation, “that this will be the first time you and I have actually gone away together for a weekend? I’ve spent the past two months driving over to the coast, but you hav­en’t had a chance to grab a small vacation. We’ll have a good time, honey.”

  “Jess, this is hardly a minivacation!”

  “We’ll make it one. I’ve already made the reserva­tion.” He named one of the big hotels near Union Square in downtown San Francisco. “I know a couple of great places for dinner and maybe some dancing. Do you dance, Elly?” he added interestedly. “That’s something else we haven’t done together.”

  “But, Jess…”

  “Don’t worry about not having the right clothes. San Francisco’s very stylish, of course, but no one’s going to notice if you don’t look as if you just stepped out of Vogue.”

  “Thanks.” Elly could hardly breathe through her fury.

  “I’m really looking forward to this, honey,” Jess con­cluded.

  “Good night, Jess.”

  Elly hung up the phone before her temper exploded. Surging to her feet, she paced the comfortable living room until she had managed to work off some of the seething resentment. By the tenth or fifteen trip across the floor, her sense of humor finally began to assert itself. Also her sense of reason.