Devereaux Billionaires Complete Series: Books 1-4

by Mallory Crowe

  She could do what she wanted, when she wanted—without having to explain herself to an overbearing cousin. She didn’t have to worry about Jace screwing her over anymore, and she was far enough away from Joslyn’s poisonous influence that she could breathe easy for the first time in days.

  So what if that guy came back around looking for whatever Joslyn had on him? She would just say she didn’t have anything that could be used against him and that would have to be good enough.

  The drive gate finally came into view and Emma couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Home, finally. After an exhausting last-minute flight and flying coach for the first time in her life, she was ready to crawl into her own bed and curl up. She’d miss the always available delivery that New York offered, but she’d gladly have some granola bars for dinner until she could get to the grocery store tomorrow.

  She hit the button on her keychain to open the gate that led to her family estate and drove through once it was open wide enough. She hit the button to close it behind her and continued up the long, winding drive to the main house. The yard was in good condition, so it looked like the groundskeeper, Barry, had been hard at work while she was gone.

  She needed more people like Barry in her life. Hardworking. Reliable. Not working for her asshole cousins. Yep. She definitely needed more Barrys.

  Finally her family home came into view. The massive, sprawling mansion was ten thousand square feet of comfort and familiarity. That comforting feeling abruptly fled when Emma realized a person sat on her front porch steps. She squinted and tried to see better. It didn’t look like Barry... “No,” she breathed as recognition slammed into her. “No, no, no, no.” Emma flung the car into park and hopped out as her mind went into full panic mode.

  Jace, however, appeared completely relaxed as he stood and flashed her a weak smile. He was in his normal outfit of a white t-shirt and jeans topped off with a black leather jacket that was way too warm looking for a Southern fall.

  “Go.” She pointed in the direction of the gate, which should’ve been locked tight enough to keep intruders out. “This is trespassing and I want you gone.”

  “Emma, I need to talk to you.”

  “Ugh! Why won’t you just leave me alone? Is this about money? I wasn’t going to pay you, but if it will get you away from me, sure.” Emma pulled out her phone and made a big show of opening her banking app. “What’s your account number? I’ll transfer money now.”

  Jace clenched his fists and glared at her. “This isn’t about money.”

  “It’s all about money. Come on, what’s the account number?” Jace didn’t say a word, but Emma wasn’t about to let this go. “Tell you what. The sex was good. Why don’t I throw in a bonus for that? What’s your going rate these days?”

  His lip curled in a sardonic smile. “So what? You’re calling me a whore?”

  “That is one of the least derogatory names I can think of for you right now.” Emma gripped her house key and held it in front of her like a weapon. “I’m serious, Jace. I want you gone.”

  He took a step closer and eyed the keys in her hand. “Or what? You’re going to slit my throat with that dull-ass edge?”

  The rage that snaked through her veins had her shaking with rage. “Well, I figure you don’t need both your eyes. It’s sharp enough to get rid of your pesky depth perception.”

  Jace wasn’t shaking though. He looked at her with that calm, collected way that somehow made her even more upset. “I know you’re angry about what happened last night. It was a mistake—”

  That did it. Something within Emma snapped and she lunged at Jace. She supposed somewhere in her mind, she knew she’d never be capable of hurting him. He had seventy pounds of muscle on her and years of training. But in that moment, she aimed her keys straight for his eye.

  Jace moved faster than she could even see as one hand twisted the wrist that held her makeshift weapon and the other wrapped around her waist and hauled her fully up against him.

  Her breath left her as the keys tumbled to the ground. Adrenaline pumped through her, but every breath pushed her breasts into Jace’s chest. Great. Because he didn’t think she was enough of an idiot. Emma pulled away, but his arm suddenly held her tighter. She looked up and for the first time noticed that he wasn’t so collected anymore. He was breathing just as heavily as she was, and his eyes were locked firmly on her lips.

  “Let me go, Jace,” she said softly.

  He seemed to snap out of it as his eyes met hers, but he didn’t let her go. Instead, he walked forward, which forced her to grasp at his jacket to keep her balance as she was pushed backward. “Jace, what—” Her words stuck in her throat as her back connected with one of the white columns that framed her porch. Half of her thought he was screwing with her, but there was no hint of amusement in the hard planes of his face. “Jace?”

  “I need you to listen to me and refrain from any more murder attempts.”

  She took a steadying breath. “Don’t worry. Next time I’ll succeed.” With that, she rammed her knee toward his crotch.

  “Damn it, Emma.” Jace just missed her blow and inserted his feet between hers, effectively immobilizing her.

  But before she could think of her next move, she realized she felt more than just his stomach. His hard and heavy erection was pressed fully against her. She met his gaze with hers and for the first time noticed that the cords of his neck were strained, as though it took everything within him to keep from pouncing on her.

  Was he the type of guy who got off on beating down women? No. He wasn’t hurting her. All he’d done was keep her from stabbing out his eye. Even if he totally deserved it, he was allowed to defend himself.

  He was supposed to be calculating and callous, not on the verge of losing control. “Okay, I’m listening,” she squeaked out.

  Jace took a deep breath before he backed away far enough that his cock wasn’t straining against her anymore. “I came because I think you’re in danger.”

  Emma pulled back, testing his grip a little, but he just held tighter. “And you couldn’t have said that with a simple phone call?”

  He frowned down at her. “And exactly how many of my hundred phone calls have you answered today?”

  Big fat zero. “So I’m in danger? Fine. I’ll find someone local to keep watch on the place for a while. You didn’t need to fly all the way down here to tell me. Especially since I don’t ever want to see your face again.”

  “There’s something you don’t know. When I altered the bank statements”—Emma narrowed her eyes at him, but he didn’t stop talking—“I noticed that your sister was getting massive deposits from someone. I took them out because I didn’t want you to start looking into it and get into trouble.”

  “How big is massive?”

  “Over a hundred thousand a month.”

  Her jaw dropped open. What on earth could Joslyn have done to be getting that kind of money? “Even so, that doesn’t mean anything.” Jace was obviously a little unhinged if he flew all the way down here in order to talk to her. Even if she was in trouble, having a crazy man around didn’t make her safer.

  “Fine.” He abruptly released her and stepped back.

  Emma set a steadying hand on the pole. She glanced at her car, which still had the driver’s door hanging wide open, but she crossed out the possibility of running. Even if she wanted to, the keys were in the dirt right behind Jace. She’d just let him say what he had to say and leave. If he’d wanted to hurt her at this point, it’s not as if she could stop him.

  Jace pulled out his phone and ran his fingers over the screen. “Do the names Rick Lincoln, Glenn Yeun, Daryl Reedus, or Scott Harrison mean anything to you?”

  Emma studied Jace’s stern face as she tried to guess what he was getting at. “Should they?”

  “Well, all of them were probably killed by the guy we had lunch with yesterday.”

  Her blood went cold at the words as she thought back to the intimidating, threatening man she
sat across from. “What?”

  “There are ten other crime scenes his fingerprints have been all over.”

  “That’s why you took the menu from the café.” Emma felt like a moron for not making sense of it earlier. “You ran his prints.”

  “My contact at the FBI did it while I was pulling in fifty different favors to get an express flight down here. Emma, whatever these guys want from you, they already have a cleaner working on it.”

  She shook her head. “There’s nothing to clean up! I don’t know anything! Besides, how good can this guy really be if he leaves fingerprints everywhere?”

  “The kind of good that either isn’t scared of getting caught or knows he won’t. Not many people can do this many things without ever being printed by the cops, Emma.”

  Her mind flashed back to his brutal treatment of the bouncer at Drax. “Have you ever been printed?” Jace’s silent, hard stare was answer enough. “Takes one to know one, I guess.”

  “Emma, let me help you. I—” He broke off and turned to glance out through the wooded land to the side of her home. “I don’t want to see you get hurt,” he finished.

  Emma tried to judge his sincerity, but damn it was hard. Had her cousins sent him? Luke had seemed just as upset as her that Jace had slept with her while being on their payroll, but at this point she had no idea what her family was capable of.

  And she knew what Jace was capable of. “Who is your FBI contact?”

  “Evelyn Price. We did a few jobs together back in the day. She ended up working for the government and I—”

  “Didn’t,” she completed for him. How much did she really know about this man she’d let into her life and bed? “So what, you thought you could come down here unannounced and convince me to let you crash on my couch? What did you expect me to say?”

  “I expected you to see reason. And I wouldn’t stay on your couch.”

  Well, that was something at least. “Are you staying at one of the hotels in town?”

  “No, I’ll be in your bedroom.”

  Okay. The plan to kill him was back on.

  “On the floor,” he quickly added. “You have a massive house. There’s no way I can watch all entry points or hear everything happening. The best chance you have is if I stick close by. I know you don’t like me and I know you don’t trust me, but this is serious.”

  Emma narrowed her eyes. “So let me get this straight. You know that if I let you inside my house after the stunt you pulled, that would make me a complete moron, right?” He nodded. “And if there really is a psycho out there who wants me dead and I turn you away, that would make me a moron too.”

  “That’s pretty much where you’re at.” At least he didn’t look happy about it.

  Emma let out a deep sigh and set a hand on her hip. “You can stay for one night. I will call Michael, and he will figure out how much trouble I’m in. If he thinks I’m at risk, we will find anyone who isn’t you to help out. Understand?”

  A muscle ticked in Jace’s jaw, and for a moment she thought he was going to fight her on it. But then he nodded in agreement. “I’ll take it.”

  Emma crossed to pick up her keys, but Jace beat her to it, bending down and handing them to her from his crouched position.

  “Thanks,” she muttered before she remembered that she shouldn’t be thanking him for anything. She started for the car to grab her luggage, but Jace was once again ahead of her. He popped the trunk of her BMW and shut the driver’s door before he reached in to grab her one carry-on sized bag.

  “This is all you have?”

  “I actually had more, but I left in such a hurry that that’s all I grabbed. Luke will have to send me the rest. So you’ll just have to deal with a makeup-less me for the next twenty-four hours.” Ha. Take that, Jace.

  He shrugged and hauled up the bag, not bothering to use the wheels. He crossed toward the door, but stopped in front of Emma. His eyes roamed over her. “You look pretty good now.”

  Emma’s mouth dropped open, but before she could respond, he was already past her. She stumbled over herself as she caught up to him. “I don’t appreciate those types of comments.” She put the key into the lock and turned.

  “You don’t want me to say you look good without makeup?”

  “From now on, the only phrases in your vocabulary should be ‘yes ma’am’, ‘no ma’am’, and ‘you’ll probably die if you do that, ma’am.’ Understand?”

  She reached for the handle, but Jace’s hand got to it first. “You might die if you do that, ma’am.”

  Emma rolled her eyes and glared at him. “Seriously?”

  “I’d explain why, but I have a limited vocabulary at the moment,” he said with a smug expression firmly in place. She narrowed her eyes, and luckily Jace explained himself without any spoken threats of violence. “I’ve been here for a while, so there’s probably no one hiding in wait. But, on the off chance there is, wouldn’t you rather it’s me who gets stabbed or shot instead of you?”

  She smiled sweetly up at him. “Well, in that case, please go in first.” The inner hostess in her cringed as her guest for the night carried in her bags, but then she reminded herself that she in no way wanted Jace to feel comfortable or welcome.

  He set her bag down next to the winding staircase and looked around at her house. Emma stiffened as she studied his reaction. What did he think of the house? Was he expecting it to be bigger? Smaller? Was he judging her for living in such an extravagant place all on her own?

  Emma had stayed in her share of dorms, so she knew how to downsize when she needed to. But this was her home. She’d grown up here and knew the surrounding woods like the back of her hand. And so what if Jace was judging her?

  “You actually live here?” he asked in awe.

  Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “Born and raised. It’s my family home.” The family that consisted only of her and her imprisoned sister. In-jailed sister?

  Jace let out a small whistle. “It looked nice from the outside, but this is...”

  The hardwood floors were polished and the natural light from the windows shining into the foyer and living room on either side of the front door reflected off the pristine surface. The walls were painted a light hunter green, which gave the room a deep, historic feel.

  A good seventy percent of the furniture was well-preserved antiques. Her family hadn’t come into most of their wealth until the past century, but Emma’s dad had been obsessive about keeping family heirlooms or purchasing other antiques. It wasn’t exactly Emma’s style, but even she couldn’t deny the impressive air they gave to the rooms.

  And if Jace was going to look down on her for being a poor little rich girl, she wasn’t going to hang around and let him. “Look all you want. I’m tired and am going to take a nap.” After her flight and drive, she had planned on crashing in her bed and not moving until the next morning, but she severely doubted her ability to relax with Jace around.

  She crossed to the stairs and Jace picked up the suitcase and followed. His frown was firmly in place as he kept looking around at the house. As she reached the top of the stairs, she turned to look down at him. “Would you please wipe that look off your face?”

  He appeared genuinely confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “Yes. It’s a big house, okay? I know it’s too big for just me, but there’s no one else besides me to live here at the moment.”

  He let out a small laugh. “I wasn’t thinking that. I just feel like I should burst into flames from even being in some place this nice.”

  In his worn jeans and leather jacket that had obviously been with him for a while, Jace definitely didn’t fit in with the aesthetic. Seeing him in her familiar, safe environment was a little bit too much for her mind to handle at the moment. “Oh, that,” she murmured as she turned back around and headed down the hall that led to her room. “Well, I feel the same way sometimes and I’ve lived here as long as I can remember.”

  After what felt like way
too long, she finally got to her room and pushed open the door. Oh, look. Another one of her most intimate places she didn’t want Jace to ever see.

  Not that there was anything embarrassing in the room.

  “Damn,” he said. “No pink.”

  Despite herself, Emma smiled. She’d long since had it updated from the garish pink she’d adored as a teen. “It took me a while, but eventually I did get a style of my own.”

  The room was a decent size. It fit a queen-sized bed easily enough and had a sitting area with a white recliner and a light. The bedspread and walls were both a soft purple while the sheer curtains along the door that opened to her balcony were a bright white.

  “You get the chair.” She slipped out of her shoes and crawled into the bed. As soon as she lay down, she realized she probably should’ve gotten a snack from downstairs. All of her cosmetics were at Luke’s, so her nightly moisturizing routine would have to wait. She’d gone to the restroom as soon as she’d gotten off the plane, so she was good on that for a while, but, good God, he wouldn’t want to come in the restroom with her too, would he?

  “You’re sleeping in your jeans?” He slipped off the jacket and set it over the back of the recliner.

  “Well, I’m not about to undress in front of—” She drifted off as she sat up and noticed the shoulder holster that stood out starkly against Jace’s white t-shirt. Well, that explained the jacket in such warm weather. “How did you get that past security?”

  Jace pulled the gun out of the holster and Emma’s entire body tensed before he set it on the nightstand beside the recliner. “I didn’t take a commercial plane.”

  Emma snorted. Of course he took a better flight than her. That was just icing on the cake. She pulled her comforter aside and climbed under the covers, trying desperately to get comfortable even while still wearing her socks, jeans, and bra. Was it really just last night that she’d slept naked in Jace’s arms?

  Ugh. How could she have been so stupid? And now he was in her room, wearing a weapon she didn’t even know whether she approved of and she was just supposed to be okay with it? “Why are you here?” she asked quietly.