What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG)

by CJ Roberts

  “Watch the screen and let me know if the image is getting clearer or blurrier. I’m thinking you might actually see it better from the bed.” Leaning over to get her head out of the way, she began slowly adjusting the zoom to demagnify the picture.

  “Getting clearer,” he said. She reduced the zoom a bit more and each time he confirmed that the image was getting sharper. When she tweaked it once again, he shook his head. “Uh-uh. Go back one increment.”

  Lauren twisted around. “What do you see?”

  “A figure. Looks like a woman, but it’s too dark to make out any features.”

  “Let me try something else.” She adjusted the contrast, lightening the image. “Good?”

  “A little more… okay. But now everything is kind of… flat.”

  “Flat?”

  “I can see a face, but I can’t tell the chin from the neck.”

  “I’ll try to adjust the color.” After adding some red, she mixed in some blue and a touch of green. “How’s that?”

  “Getting better.”

  Lauren walked over to the bed. After several seconds, she snapped her fingers and returned to the desk. Moments later, she glanced at Jake over her shoulder and asked, “Now?”

  He smiled. “Your head’s in the way.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Heat rose to her cheeks. Ducking, she turned away from him, then heard him suck in a breath of air.

  “You got it. She’s a real looker.”

  Lauren’s eyes shot to the screen but from so close, she couldn’t make much out. She lunged for the bed, nearly knocking Jake over in her haste. “Whoa.” He chuckled as he steadied her. “The photo isn’t going anywhere.”

  Her eyes snapped to the image on the screen as she let him guide her to a spot beside him. The blood drained from her face and her whole body went numb. Oh God, it was Vivian.

  21

  “Ms. James. You know that woman?”

  Lauren averted her gaze from the photo and met Jake’s eyes. She cleared her throat. “Vivian Carmichael, Nic’s agent.”

  His eyes widened. “Mr. Lamoureux’s agent is the stalker?” He scrubbed his jaw. “Shit. Uh… sorry.” He shot her a quick glance before turning away. “I need to call Kaden.”

  As he reached into his back pocket, she put her hand on his arm. “No. We can’t risk her finding out. She’s already put a tracking device on Nic’s phone. Who knows what else she’s done? For all we know, Kaden’s phone is bugged too. We have to go to Montréal tonight and show this to Nic.”

  “Okay. Pack up while I make the flight reservations.”

  Lauren released his arm and started collecting her things while he placed a few calls. “Okay,” he said, glancing at his watch. “It’ll be tight, but we can make it if we hurry.”

  She zipped her suitcase shut and smacked her hand on it. “I’m done.” All the important stuff was in the pockets of her cargo pants, anyway.

  As they waited their turn at airport security an hour later, Lauren took a deep breath. Two days ago, she’d run from Nic as fast as her legs could carry her and yet, here she was beating all kinds of speed records to get to him. Had she gone mad? And what happened to waiting until the stalker was caught? What would she do if Vivian had already joined Nic at the ranch? She was no actress. Could she pretend she didn’t know, or would Vivian see right through her? Her stomach lurched and she clutched her waist. The woman was a killer. Maybe she’d been too rash in suggesting they jump on a plane. They could have called Kaden and asked him to call back on Rémi’s phone or something like that.

  The line advanced, and it was her turn to remove her shoes and take her laptop out of its case. As she stepped through the metal detector, she almost hoped that the guards detained her long enough to miss their flight. But nothing happened. No alarms, bells or whistles. Nothing. Surely that was a sign she was doing the right thing?

  At the gate, her mother’s words came back to her. No one got guarantees. The boring tax accountant she’d hoped to meet? He could die from an infected paper cut. Vivian’s betrayal would hit Nic hard. He’d need someone to love and support him. And that someone was her, Lauren James. Single mom. Professional photographer. Reformed scaredy-cat. Hopefully, he’d still talk to her. But if his feelings had changed—

  No, she wouldn’t think about that. One day at a time, that’s what her mother had said. Get to the ranch, tell Nic about Vivian, and help the guys come up with a plan to catch her. Then she could worry about having a future with Nic.

  But damn, after everything they’d already been through, they both deserved a chance to have a happily ever after. Together.

  “Thought you could use this,” Rémi said, handing Nic a bottle of beer before perching himself on the veranda railing.

  Nic thanked him absently and took a long swallow. The beer was surprisingly good. He glanced at the label and had to laugh. “La fin du monde. The End of the World. How appropriate.”

  “Just showing the love, man.”

  Nic snorted. “Asshole.”

  Relaxing on the porch, his gaze drifted to the giant ball of fire hovering above the tree line and the pink, purple and orange streaks painting the sky. He met his friend’s eyes. “I’ve missed being here.”

  Rémi’s expression sobered as he leaned forward, picking at the label on his bottle. “We’ve got to end this, brother. Did you hear from the LAPD?”

  “Anderson called. Because the stalking has crossed state and now international lines, they’ve called in the FBI. All the phones used to send the messages were disposables bought at Walmarts across the U.S. The FBI is running the security tapes through their face-recognition system.”

  Rémi nodded. “That’s good. If the same face shows up at all locations, then they’ve got their suspect.”

  Nic ran his thumb through the condensation accumulating along the bottle and remembered countless summer evenings spent exactly like this: talking things over with Rémi while sitting on the wide veranda drinking a good beer. He’d always been honest with Rémi. There was no reason for that to change. “Lauren thinks Vivian’s the stalker.”

  After taking a slug from his bottle, Rémi arched a brow. “And you?”

  “I don’t want her to be right.”

  “But you think she might be.”

  Nic blew out a long breath. “Yeah.” He balanced the chair onto its back legs and leaned his head against the wall. “The thing I don’t get is why. I keep asking myself: what’s Vivian’s motive? And I keep coming up blank.”

  “I’m no expert, but from what I understand, stalkers often have relationship fantasies. In her mind, you could be her boyfriend, even her husband.”

  “Which could explain killing Summer and threatening Lauren.”

  Rémi nodded. “She would see that as cheating.”

  “But why the blackmail? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Consider this: where’re you getting the money to pay?”

  Nic’s eyes widened. “From Vivian. This way, she looks like a hero. Like she’s saving me, my career, and the ranch.”

  “And at the same time, makes you even more dependent on her because now you owe her.”

  “Jesus Christ. Talk about showing the love.”

  Rémi laughed. The screen door slammed against the wall as Kaden stepped onto the veranda. “Incoming,” he said. “I just buzzed Jake in at the gate.”

  Nic let his chair fall forward with a thud. “Jake? He’s supposed to be in New York with Lauren.” His gut plummeted as fear for her washed over him. “Is she here too?”

  Kaden nodded.

  “Shit.” Lauren had been so adamant about staying away from him, only something serious could have brought her here. Why hadn’t she called?

  The gate opened and a car passed under the arch, triggering the security lights along the driveway. Nic took off down the wheelchair ramp, running faster as the car’s headlights bobbed closer. His heart seized when the passenger door opened and a small figure jumped out of the slow-moving ca
r. The person stumbled a bit but didn’t slow down. Seconds later, Lauren was in his arms. “Nic, I’m so sorry.”

  “Chérie.” He took her face in his hands and felt the wet warmth of her tears. His chest tightened and he cocooned her with his body, ready to protect her from everything and anything. “Are you okay? Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I… I…,” she started, but then another sob cut off her words.

  Nic lifted her up and cradled her against his chest. “Shh. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it,” he murmured, carrying her up the ramp. Rémi held the door for him. Nic slipped through, nodding his thanks, and sat on the couch with Lauren on his lap.

  She blushed and wiped the tears off her cheeks when Rémi took a seat across from them. “God, this is so embarrassing.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I quite enjoyed it,” Rémi teased.

  When Lauren laughed, Nic smiled, glad his friend had defused the situation. “Lauren, meet Rémi—”

  “The best friend,” Rémi interjected.

  “—and this is Lauren.”

  “The girlfriend… if he’ll still have me.” When she turned and angled her chin up, he saw love and longing in her eyes, and his heart swelled.

  He threaded his fingers through her long curls and pulled her to him. “I will,” he whispered as his lips met hers. When his tongue slid between her teeth and curled around hers in a gentle caress, she moaned and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts against his chest.

  With half an ear, he heard Rémi mutter, “And that’s my cue to leave.” The screen door slammed as he went outside to join the two bodyguards.

  The sound startled Lauren. She wrenched her mouth away from his and put a restraining hand against his chest.

  “What is it?”

  “I forgot to ask, is Vivian here?”

  He shook his head. “She’s coming tomorrow.”

  Lauren breathed a sigh of relief. “I got so caught up with seeing you again and….” She trailed off, waving her hand between the two of them.

  Nic grinned in understanding. He’d gotten pretty carried away, too. “Let’s get your things. You can freshen up and then we’ll talk. Okay?”

  Someone had brought in Lauren’s bags. He handed her the purse, then grabbed her suitcase and laptop bag. They climbed the two flights of stairs to his suite. “The attic’s pretty large, so I have a bedroom, a full bath, and a den up here.”

  He deposited her belongings next to the bed. She surprised him by taking his hand and leading him to the pair of wingback chairs beside the windows. He sat in one and when she moved to sit in the other, he tugged her down onto his lap. “Here’s better,” he said when she raised her brows. He loved the feel of her ass against his thighs.

  Lauren swallowed, then lowered her head. “I want you to know that my running off had nothing to do with anything you told me about your past.”

  Nic tilted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Then why?”

  She averted her eyes. “I was scared.”

  “That’s understandable. The stalker did threaten you.”

  She stared at her hands clasped in her lap. “It wasn’t just the stalker. I was afraid to commit to our relationship.”

  He stroked a hand through her hair and wrapped a curl around her ear. “Why?” he asked, his voice low. “Were things moving too fast?” After she’d joined him in L.A., their relationship had gone from zero to sixty, and he’d been helpless to slow it down.

  Lauren shook her head. “That was part of it, but deep down, I was afraid to commit to someone I could lose.” She shifted on his lap so that they were face to face. When she ran a hand along his jaw, Nic leaned into her palm. “You’re gorgeous—” She laughed when he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “And rich and smart and funny. And I’m none of those things.”

  As soon as he opened his mouth to object, she pressed her fingers to his lips, shushing him. “I was scared that things would turn out the same way they did with Todd.”

  “I’m not going to die, Lauren. We’re going to grow old together.”

  Lauren smiled, but he could still see a trace of disbelief in her expression. “Things with Todd went bad before he died. He’d already grown bored with me. The re-upping was just one sign.”

  So that was the real problem. Why couldn’t he have been a poet? Then he could weave a web of words to convince her she was his world. Instead, he had to settle for raw honesty.

  “Lauren, I love you. I always have and I always will. I had such a mad crush on that cute photographer in high school. On you. When we met again, I didn’t recognize you. But my heart did.” He smiled and slid his fingers through her curls. “My heart never forgot you.”

  The uncertainly in her eyes disappeared, replaced with a glow that sent his blood pressure through the stratosphere. “My heart never forgot you either.” She kissed him, and when she drew back, tears glittered in her eyes. “I want to be with you, Nic. I want to grow old with you. Can you ever forgive me?”

  A strange warmth erupted in his chest, growing until he thought he would burst. Lauren had come back to him, and not just for a while. They’d have their entire lives to get to know each other, and he’d have forever to prove he’d never tire of her. Nic cupped her cheeks with his hands and traced the softness of her lips with his thumbs. “There’s nothing to forgive, chérie,” he whispered.

  She hooked her arms around his neck, pressing her mouth against his. He could feel relief and love in her kiss. Hope for the future filled him as his hands skimmed down her back to her ass. She squirmed, pressing against the growing bulge in his lap. Her soft moan made him harden even more. She raised her head and abruptly drew back.

  “What?” he asked, as best he could given where he’d thought the kiss was going.

  She blinked a few times. “Stars.”

  Nic glanced over his shoulder to see what had captured her attention. Behind him was an entire wall of windows through which they could see a vast array of constellations against the clear night sky.

  Lauren went to the windows. “They’re real.” When he said nothing, she turned to him and the tinkling sound of her laughter cascaded over him. How he’d missed that sound. “For a moment, I thought I was seeing stars… from your kisses.”

  Nic stood up, grinning. If she gave him a few minutes, she would be seeing stars, and they wouldn’t be the ones outside. Hell, she might even see some fireworks.

  As he took the few steps to join her at the window, she turned slowly and looked around. “This room is amazing.”

  He had to agree. It was his refuge in the wilderness. The entire western wall consisted of bare six foot windows, covered with the same one-way privacy film he had at the loft. A fireplace sat across from the king bed, and above it hung a large flat-screen TV. Open beams stained to match the hardwood floor traversed the vaulted ceiling.

  “I’m glad you like it.” His eyes fell to the bed and the mountain of multicolored cushions covering it. Ever since Lauren had shown up at the hospital, he’d been imagining her laying all pink, spread-eagle on this very bed, her brown hair fanned out on his cream colored sheets, her hips propped up by one of his many multi-hued pillows. His groin tightened at the image and a light sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead. Need clawed at him, making its demands known. He wanted to take her here, in his room, in his bed, in the moonlight, then again in the sunlight, over and over, until his was the only face she saw, until his was the only name she remembered.

  She must have sensed the change in his mood, because her smile faded, and her darkened eyes and flushed cheeks reflected his own heat. Hard nipples jutted through the thin material of her T-shirt, beckoning him, begging him to relieve their tightness.

  Slowly, they moved toward each other, closing the distance until they stood toe to toe. As if by mutual agreement, they kept their arms tightly by their sides. Eyes locked on hers, Nic leaned forward. His lips hovering above hers, he breathed in her scent. A tremor shook her body and her t
ongue darted out to swipe his lips. Nic moaned and pressed his forehead to hers, breathing hard.

  “We need to go downstairs,” she panted.

  “Why?”

  A shadow darkened her eyes. “I have something to show you and Kaden. Rachel and Rémi should see it too. It can’t wait.”

  “Shit.”

  Her breath feathered his lips, and he couldn’t hold back a groan.

  “Later,” he growled.

  “Later,” she purred.

  When Lauren entered the living room with Nic, Kaden and Jake were sprawled on one couch, while Rémi sat in an armchair beside a woman in a wheelchair. She had both feet on the footrests, one leg in a sort of open cast. The woman had to be Rachel, but hadn’t Nic said she could walk with a brace and crutches? And why was her leg in a cast? A glance at Nic’s face showed only his own excitement. Okay, so this wasn’t a new development. Thank God. One less thing to deal with today.

  When they took note of her, all three men stood up. Lauren deposited her laptop bag beside the empty couch and let Nic lead her over to the woman. Nic beamed at her then said, “Rachel, I’d like to introduce you to someone very special to me. This is Lauren James.”

  “Lauren. I’m so happy to finally meet you.” Rachel held out her hand. Lauren had no idea if she was supposed to shake it or kiss Rachel on the cheeks.

  But she needn’t have feared. Rachel tugged Lauren down so she could hug and kiss her. “The pleasure is mine,” Lauren said, smiling.

  “Everyone, have a seat. Would you care for anything to drink? Tea, coffee, beer?” offered Rachel. Lauren shot a teasing glance at Kaden, wondering if he’d once again choose tea over coffee or beer.

  “I’ll have tea, Earl Grey if you have it,” he said, eyes on Lauren, as if daring her to say something. When Jake smothered a laugh, Kaden pinned him with a look. “Jake, too. We’re on the clock.”

  A slight widening of her eyes was the only sign of Rachel’s surprise. “O-kay. Rémi, I imagine you want another beer?” When he nodded, she turned to Nic and Lauren.