Animal Instinct

by Kate Davidson

  “Sort of a two-for-one deal,” Liam said, trying to remember if he had anything important to do Monday. Well, there were always things to be done but none of them seemed as interesting. Jacquelyn had quickly become a fascinating diversion from his life. It might have worried him if he weren’t confident in his own ability to control himself.

  “We’ll talk about the details later. I’ll have the prices for each of them worked up for you Monday.” Jackie felt like jumping up and down and screaming. Holy crap, she was safe! She wasn’t going to crash and burn into a million bits and lose everything she ever worked for! Instead she smiled coolly at Liam. “It’s been an interesting evening, Mr. O’Connor, but I need to get back to the house. I have a guest.” Liam stood up and offered her a slow, luxuriant smile.

  “I’ll see you around noon on Monday.” The sun would be barbaric but if he stayed in the shade and drank his fill of blood then there wouldn’t be any permanent damage. Before he left, Liam lowered his head and pressed a kiss to the side of her throat. “Sleep well, Jacquelyn.”

  “I’d better,” she said, making sure to establish eye contact when she did. He stared at her quietly a moment before nodding. Jackie smiled. A nonverbal surrender would do her just fine.

  Hopefully he wouldn’t require a surrender in return.

  Chapter Eleven

  “BEWARE TALL WOMEN WITH short tempers.” Liam wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the warning Sofie had whispered to him as he’d walked to Jacquelyn’s office. He could guess that she was pissed off. He’d felt it since early that morning, a teasing pull of emotion that tugged firmly at his senses. Liam hadn’t lied when he told Jacquelyn he needed to be paying attention to feel her emotional state. What he wouldn’t tell her was that he found it more difficult to brush away her feelings than he should. The threads of it stuck in his mind, rooted and unmoving. It may have been a better decision than he’d known, agreeing to let Jacquelyn take on a role in his life other than donor. Now she was a business associate.

  His new business associate marched out of her office with a bridle over her shoulder and a scowl on her face. She halted when she saw him. Liam’s eyes skimmed over her already dirty shirt, riding britches and highly polished boots.

  “Oh, you’re here,” she mumbled. Of course he was here, they’d both agreed about him being here today. Jackie was not in a good state of mind. At least Hannah had called her back with a promise to do some digging into Crawley’s background and had sworn to cover the story personally. Hannah wasn’t any fonder of child abusers than Jackie was.

  “You’re upset,” Liam noted. “Is it Sarah?”

  “It’s really annoying that you can just automatically know what’s wrong with me when trying to read you is like deciphering Aramaic,” she said curtly, turning away from Liam and walking to the crossties where Ultrano was waiting for her. Liam was beginning to understand Sofie’s warning.

  “There are two solutions to our current problem,” he began. She paused then turned back to face him with her hands on her hips.

  “What problem?”

  “The problem of you being extraordinarily irritated. If you go on like this, it’s more likely that you’ll try to run me down with your horse instead of showing him off.” Jackie glared but didn’t contradict him before spinning around to go back to work. It was sad but he had a point.

  “Fine. What are your two solutions?” she asked, sliding the halter off of Ultrano and offering him the bit. He took it into his mouth without hesitating. She pulled the bridle over his ears and started to fasten the various straps.

  “The first solution involves my taking you against a nearby wall so you can work off that frustration,” Liam informed her from his place a few feet outside Ultrano’s biting range. He slid his hands deep into his pockets with a quick, satisfied smile at the leap of her heartbeat and the faltering of her hands. “The second solution is less satisfying. You can tell me exactly what’s wrong and release some of your anger by doing so.” Jackie stared intently at her horse’s cheek before finally deciding to take his advice.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Crawley are claiming that one of their staff lost their grip on the coffee table when they were moving it and accidentally hit Sarah. Apparently they didn’t know how hurt she was, that she acted fine. They’re saying that Sarah must have gotten confused about what happened. After all, she’s only eight. What does she know?” When she lifted her gaze to Liam’s some of her anger had faded. What concerned him more was her deep disappointment with life in general. “Last I checked, an eight year old could still tell who hits them and who doesn’t,” she said.

  “That seems like a safe assumption,” he agreed, nodding as he moved closer. Ultrano pinned his ears back and showed his teeth.

  Jackie flicked his nose. “Behave,” she muttered then met Liam’s eyes. “The best part is that I got a call this morning from one of the Crawley’s many representatives. Sarah isn’t going to be riding anymore. They’ll send someone out to collect her boots and helmet.”

  He didn’t hug people. It was a rule. Hugging involved emotion and to him the contact was far more intimate than sex. So why did he find himself compelled to take Jacquelyn into his arms despite the fact that she had her forehead resting against the neck of a horse who would like to take a chunk out of him if given the opportunity? He kept his hands deep in his pockets instead, rocking back casually on his heels.

  “I can still kill him for you,” Liam offered. She let out a halfhearted laugh.

  “Believe me, I’m an inch from accepting.” Which was why she needed to shift the topic of conversation. “Anyway, this is Ultrano. You said you’d met him before?”

  “Yes,” Liam said, temporarily going along with her distraction tactic. “He doesn’t care for me.”

  “None of the boys in my life seem to,” Jackie commented and looked far too amused by it. “Most people geld stallions because they’re generally a pain in the ass. However, since Ultrano has an excellent temperament I decided against it.”

  “An excellent temperament?”

  “Okay, I’ll admit he gets a little flirty and feisty in the barn. Once he’s out in the arena, though, he knows it’s time to work.” Jackie picked up her gloves from the tack box to the side of the crossties and began to walk Ultrano out of the barn. “There’s a table and chair with an umbrella over them by the arena. Take a seat and enjoy the show.”

  Surprisingly, he did enjoy it. From the moment Jacquelyn got on the horse he hadn’t looked away. Something about her had changed. She was quiet, patient and at ease. Only her perfectly straight back gave away the fact that she wasn’t completely relaxed. The reason for her good posture was explained, as were the muscles in her legs. Jacquelyn’s hands barely moved. Her legs applied pressure and cued the horse for various movements. She rode deep in the saddle, the movement of her lower body matching the horse’s stride. Jacquelyn was a beautiful rider and Ultrano complimented her. He took direction without protest. On the contrary, he was enjoying the ride as much as his rider was.

  Once the ride was done, she leaned over to pat his neck and Liam could hear her murmuring to Ultrano. He noticed how warm and relaxed her voice sounded. It clashed with every experience he’d ever had with her, and he began to understand her better then. She trusted animals far easier than she trusted people and he wanted to know why. “Impressive show,” Liam said after she’d dismounted by the barn entrance.

  Jacquelyn flashed him a brief smile. “Thanks. I hope you think he’s worth that hundred and twenty thousand.” Ultrano snorted as if to communicate the fact that he was worth much more.

  Liam’s fingers twitched with an urge to pat the boy’s neck. “Don’t worry, Jacquelyn. I fully intend to buy your horses. No need to panic.”

  “Believe me, I’m panicking for an entirely different reason,” she muttered. It interested him to watch her work. She was efficient and quick as she brushed Ultrano down then put him back in his stall. “He didn’t
sweat much,” she explained while latching the stall. “And I don’t like hosing them down when the temperature is getting cooler all the time.”

  “You don’t want to end up with horse popsicles, I understand,” Liam told her. She snorted then rolled her eyes heavenward as if to ask why she was being punished with sarcastic vampires.

  “Come on, it’s time to check out the maternity ward.” Several stalls down in Jacquelyn’s thirty-stall establishment lounged a very contented horse. The mare pinned her ears back when she caught Liam’s scent but seemed to relax once she realized that Jacquelyn was there as well. These animals trusted her with their lives. That was no small thing. “This is Lucy.”

  “Otherwise known as Lucifer,” Sofie informed him as she walked past them leading a large horse with a salt and pepper coat.

  “You’re just bitter because she bucked you off,” Jackie said, biting back a snicker at Sofie’s nickname for the pregnant horse.

  “She did not buck me off. I wasn’t even on yet so she couldn’t technically buck me off,” Sofie corrected with tremendous dignity.

  Liam glanced at the calm bay horse relaxing in her stall. “She doesn’t strike me as the rambunctious type,” he said.

  “Lucy’s a lot happier pregnant,” Jackie said. “She’s happier not working in general. Trying to make Lucy do dressage was like trying to make a train take a dirt road. The few times we tried to show her she transformed into a tornado of unholy vengeance.”

  “So you’re going to use her for breeding,” Liam concluded. If nothing else, he understood how businesses worked. He might not have been that involved with horses during his many years on the planet but he did know about taking advantage of resources.

  Jacquelyn nodded. “This is her first time but so far she’s taken it really well. After the injection she got pregnant right off the bat, which isn’t that common. We’re trying something a little new with the breeding. She’s an Oldenburg and she has some really smooth transitions. Lucy always moved beautifully. It’s her behavior that’s the problem so we bred her with a Lusitano stallion. We thought about using Ultrano. He’s a Lusitano, too, but I don’t want him to get into that mindset stallions can have while we’re still competing. Plenty of time for babies when he’s retired.” Jackie tried to turn around but ended up backing into Liam’s arms. He must have moved behind her while she was talking. She bit back a gasp when he nuzzled the base of her throat.

  “You have a fondness for that coconut shower scrub, don’t you?” he murmured against her skin. Jackie tried to step away but his arms were more like metal than flesh. That weak, vulnerable feeling hit her again. She shivered. Liam was just bigger and stronger. Damn that little voice telling her how nice it was not to always be the strong one.

  “Mr. O’Connor, is it impossible for you to be professional?” she asked tightly. It annoyed her to think he’d just been humoring her as she’d talked, waiting for a moment to strike.

  “Not impossible. Just less interesting.” He turned her enough so he could reach her mouth and settle his own over it. Liam was beginning to think his interest in her was bordering on dangerous. She neither smelled nor tasted manufactured as so many of his women did. She was honest and real - and complicated. When had complications become so appealing?

  Jackie was certain that she was going to melt into a pool of hormones if she didn’t stop kissing him. She’d already lost the feeling in her knees and was clinging to him for dear life. With more difficulty than she liked, she pulled back from his mouth. Her lips felt swollen and tender from his attention. Since he was staring, she decided that licking her lips would not be the wisest course of action. No need to make this any, uh, harder than it had to be.

  “We really need to set down some ground rules,” she said with less resolution in her tone than she’d wanted. “I have a lot of work to do and a crisis involving child abuse. I really don’t have time to fend off an overly amorous vampire.”

  Liam’s lips curved slowly into a devil-may-care smile that made her knees start shaking again. “Have you considered the thought that giving in might make your life easier?” he asked. Jackie narrowed her eyes.

  “Mixing business with pleasure can result in catastrophe, you know.” Not to mention sleeping with a man who had a taste for much younger women would probably end in tears and a broken heart.

  Liam opened his mouth to argue but the slap of a pair of men’s dress shoes on stone reached his ears. He released her to turn to look at a younger, shorter man in crisp tan slacks and a white polo shirt smelling of expensive cologne. There were blonde highlights in his silky brown hair and his tanned features had a movie star quality to them. He felt Jacquelyn stiffen and Liam could practically taste her aversion for this man.

  “Are you Jacquelyn Chase?” he asked, walking a little farther into the barn.

  “You have an amazingly poor memory, Mr. Crawley,” Jackie replied with tangible venom in her words. “I’ve dropped Sarah off at your house at least fifty times.”

  He smiled guiltily. “I’m sorry. Business has been crazy and I haven’t been paying attention to my surroundings as much as I should. A busy woman like yourself must understand that.”

  Liam was familiar enough with the tactic Crawley was using to recognize it. He was trying to charm her. It took all of his self-control not to burst out laughing. The man thought he could actually charm her. This would be infinitely amusing.

  “Since ignoring my surroundings can lead to a horse breaking its leg or injuring myself, I can’t say that I do understand it,” she said. “I know you’re here for Sarah’s things, Mr. Crawley. I’ll get them for you and then you can drive far away from my property.” Jackie turned on her heel and walked straight into her office.

  “I wouldn’t follow, if I were you,” Liam advised when Gregory Crawley began to move in that direction. “You might leave her office less of a man than you walked in.” If that were possible, he amended to himself.

  Crawley looked to him and the blatant search for a sympathetic male ear had Liam’s fangs itching in his gums. “Is she always such a bitch?”

  There were three dogs on the property. Surely one of them would enjoy eating human flesh. Liam had already taken a step forward, fingers twisting into claws.

  Before another word could be exchanged between them Jacquelyn stormed out then shoved a box and child-sized boots into Crawley’s arms. “If you think for one minute that this is over, you’re more stupid than you look,” she hissed, standing barely a foot away from the polished child abuser. “How you treat your wife is sickening, but she’s an adult and she’s made her choices. Touch my Sarah again, jail will be the least of your worries.” She could see his eyes narrow behind designer sunglasses.

  “You should watch your mouth, Ms. Chase. I can destroy your life without breaking a sweat.”

  “Believe me, boy-o, you would break a sweat and a few other things if you tried,” Liam said, a chill Irish breeze in his voice lilting over the warning. Somehow he had appeared close to Jacquelyn’s side in the space of a second and his eyes were cold.

  Crawley looked between the two of them, realizing he was outnumbered. Plus, Liam was a man. Gregory had never had the nerve to challenge another man; typically he released his aggression on smaller, weaker targets. Jacquelyn Chase was supposed to be a weak target. But no, he had to be dealing with an uncooperative bitch and her bodyguard. He aimed one last glare at Jackie then made a hasty retreat.

  She let out a disgruntled sigh before looking over at Liam. “Boy-o?”

  “Buster?” he asked, deliberately reminding her of that embarrassing phone call weeks ago. Her cheeks reddened and she looked away.

  He forced a smile. That had been the second time his tongue had slipped and brought back a touch of his homeland. He usually had much better control. Bodies were littering the streets of Los Angeles and the SoCal council was breathing down his neck to find the culprit who at this point seemed more like smoke than
an actual rogue vampire. The last thing he needed was to renew a struggle he’d dealt with during his first century of life. “Just say the word and Gregory Crawley will suffer an accidental decapitation.”

  “I’m never sure what to believe with you,” she murmured. “One minute you’re seducing me and the next you’re threatening to break some guy’s kneecaps.”

  “I said nothing about his kneecaps,” Liam corrected.

  Her eyes crinkled up with amusement. “You would go for his kneecaps. You look like a kneecap kind of guy.” Jacquelyn suddenly snapped her fingers. “Wait, no, I’m wrong. You would probably hire someone to break his kneecaps.”

  “And what would you have gone for?” he asked, intrigued by her relaxed attitude considering the fact that she’d just been threatened by a multi-millionaire.

  “What does any angry woman go for?” Jackie grinned at the way he instinctively winced. It was good to know that the crotch was a man’s weak point whether he was immortal or not. “Anyway, back to the point of your visit, I’ll get Sampson ready to go.”

  “Just one more thing before we return to business,” Liam said. “Would you come with Isabelle to a party at my home?” He could see the automatic refusal and interrupted before she could voice it. “Most of my staff comes to these things and I’ve noticed that Isabelle isn’t getting on well with some of the new blood.” Jackie frowned. Izzy hadn’t mentioned anything about her life as a donor, which was pretty unusual now that she thought about it. She was probably trying to preserve their friendship by not mentioning it. That was like ignoring the presence of an elephant in the room. Of course, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to conceal something since they hadn’t actually spoken before or after she’d called for more specificity about Liam and the dreams.

  “Is this your way of hinting that she needs backup?” Jackie inquired, a little fascinated that Liam thought of his donors as individual people.