by Girard, Dara
This place had been their private sanctum where he’d made her smile, but Donnie had taken his place.
Donnie saw him first and shot to his feet. “JD.”
“What are you doing here?” Monica said, also rising.
“Thought I’d surprise you,” he said in a low voice, his gaze dipping to the towel wrapped around his brother’s waist.
Donnie noticed the look and shook his head. “It’s not what you think.”
JD folded his arms and nodded. “Excuse me.” He turned and walked out the front door. He had to get away from them. He had to get away from the scene that would now burn in his memory. He’d never felt jealous before, but the monster was slowly consuming him. All he saw was Monica’s forehead on Donnie’s shoulder, her hand on his leg. He wouldn’t be angry at Monica. It wasn’t her fault she’d fallen for Donnie’s charms.
“JD, slow down.”
He turned and saw Donnie running after him as he struggled to keep his towel in place. JD stopped and pointed at him. “Why did you come here?”
“I just wanted to check her out.”
“Why?”
“Because Mom thinks she’s hiding something.”
“I know she’s hiding something. I don’t care. I have a few secrets myself.”
“No, you don’t. I bet that woman knows everything about you. You’re making yourself too vulnerable.”
“When did I ask for your advice?”
“I’m giving it to you anyway. I like her, too.” He held up a hand. “Just as a friend. Nothing happened. I—”
JD grabbed Donnie by the front of his shirt and shoved him against his car. “Stay away from her.”
Donnie searched his brother’s face, clearly bewildered. “What is wrong with you? You know I’d never move in on one of your women.”
JD released him. “You may not mean to, but you have.”
“When? How?”
JD turned away, feeling like a fool. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Come on, man,” Donnie pressed. “Talk to me. What did I do?”
“I’ve never made her laugh like that. You, Dad, Gran can make a room light up. You get people to like you without effort. That’s not easy for me, and you just showed me how far I am from making her truly happy.”
Donnie sighed and shook his head. “Brother, you think too much. I may make her laugh, but she loves you.”
JD’s gaze sharpened. “Did she say that?”
“She doesn’t have to. We spent most of the time talking about you. I mean, she made this delicious zucchini bread—”
“She baked for you?”
“It was a new recipe she was trying out for your next visit. I see why you like her.”
JD snatched the towel away. What he saw made him grip it in his fist. “What happened?” he said in a low voice.
Donnie covered his exposed front, his face turning red. “My underpants got wet, too.”
“Really?”
“Your dog peed on me and everything got stained. She offered to wash them.”
JD nodded. “I see.”
“Come on,” Donnie begged, glancing around. “Don’t be like that.”
“Don’t ever come back here without telling me.”
“I won’t.”
“I don’t believe you.” JD headed toward the front door.
“I won’t! I won’t! I promise.”
JD tossed him the towel over his shoulder with a triumphant grin. “Good.”
Monica met him at the front door. “Your brother’s things are ready now.”
“He’s coming,” JD said, jerking his head toward his brother, who was fighting the wind from blowing his towel up.
Monica giggled at the sight. JD sent her a pensive look. “You like him?”
“Very much.”
JD nodded then walked past her. Moments later Donnie ran up the porch stairs. Monica handed him his jeans and underwear. “Thanks,” he said with a rueful grin.
She covered her mouth to keep from laughing again. “You’re welcome.”
“I’ll be back in a minute,” he said and darted down the hall.
Chapter 13
Monica went into the kitchen and found JD considering the zucchini bread.
“Do you want me to cut you a slice?”
He didn’t look up. “Maybe later.”
She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his back. “So what’s the special occasion? Is there a holiday I’ve forgotten about?”
He turned to her, his voice low and his gaze steady. “No. I just wanted to see you.”
Monica loosened a button on her blouse. “And how much of me do you want to see?”
“As much as I can.” He slid his hand up her blouse and unlatched her bra.
She pulled away. “Careful, your brother is still here.”
He drew her close. “I’ll tell him to leave.”
“You can’t.”
He paused. “Why not?”
“He’s staying for lunch.”
“What?”
“I asked him to stay for lunch.”
“You mean if I hadn’t come you would have had lunch with him?”
Monica raised her voice in mock horror. “Yes, imagine the scandal.”
JD turned to the counter. “I think I’ll take a slice of that bread.”
Donnie came into the kitchen. “Well, I’d better go.”
JD opened a drawer and grabbed a knife. “Yes, see you later.”
“You’ll go after lunch,” Monica corrected, gathering the dishes.
Donnie cast JD a nervous look. “I don’t—”
“I insist.” She handed him the plates and utensils. “Go set up the table.”
He hesitated then left.
JD watched him go then glared at her. “Why are you doing this?”
“To show you there’s no reason to be jealous.”
He gripped the knife in his hands. “What makes you think I’m jealous?”
Monica gently took the knife from him. “I have no idea,” she said with a note of sarcasm. She placed the knife back in the drawer. “You can have the bread after lunch.”
“But I want it now.” He opened the drawer.
She slammed it shut. “You’ll have to wait.”
They faced each other in a battle of wills. “Don’t push me, Monica.”
She cupped his face in her hand and made her voice firm. “And don’t insult me, JD.”
“I’m not—”
“This is how it’s going to work. You’re going to eat lunch with your brother and me like a grown man, and you’ll be civil or else.”
He began to grin, amused by her threat. “Or else what?”
“You can go home right now.”
His grin disappeared. “This isn’t supposed to be about anyone but us.”
“I know, and it will be once I get your brother to fully trust me. I can’t afford to have him or your mother asking questions about me.”
“If you were in danger, would you let me know?”
Monica thought for a moment then nodded. “If I thought you could help me, yes.”
“I can do a lot of things. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a rich and powerful man with a few enemies. I don’t mind having one more.”
But Monica knew Anton wasn’t a normal adversary. JD dealt in the world of business. There was corruption and greed, revenge and betrayal. But she was certain he’d never had to deal with a killer before. She didn’t want him to think about what she was hiding from him, so she lightly kissed him on the mouth and whispered against his lips. “Are you staying for lunch?”
He raised his brows, and she could tell he wanted to resume their conversation, but he let his shoulders fall. “Fine. I’ll stay. But I want my zucchini bread. Now.”
She took out the knife, cut him a large slice and slipped it on a plate. “There.”
“Thank you.”
Monica picked up a container of potato sa
lad from out of the fridge. “Now let’s eat.”
Lunch started out as a disaster. JD refused to talk, and every topic Monica tried with Donnie fell flat. After nearly a half hour, Monica kicked JD under the table, eager to get his cooperation. He ignored her, so she kicked him again—harder. He set his fork down and rested his arms on the table. “Hey, Donnie, ever heard about the guy from Manassas?”
Donnie looked at him, curious. “No.”
“Well, there once was a guy from Manassas,” he said then commenced to tell him a limerick so dirty that both Donnie and Monica were left speechless then Donnie burst into laughter. Monica soon followed suit.
“You sick bastard,” Donnie said in good humor.
JD held up his hands. “I didn’t make it up.”
“Tell me another one.”
He told them five more until they had tears running down their faces. They finished lunch in the dining room and ended up in the family room, where Donnie showed JD where their grandfather had hidden the liquor and JD showed Donnie where he’d kept his stash of cigars. Monica and Baxter watched as the two brothers reminisced about their past.
“Remember when Dad taught us how to fish?” Donnie asked.
JD nodded. “And you were upset because you hadn’t caught anything, so Dad gave you his fish and let Mom and Gran think that you’d caught it.”
“Mom made me a big ice-cream sundae. I didn’t stop grinning for days.”
“Dad always did stuff like that. Remember how he used to leave us letters under the door that he wrote as Santa Claus?”
Donnie sat up. “They were from Santa Claus. I don’t know what you got, but mine were real.”
JD shook his head with a smile. “So gullible. No wonder you get into trouble, little brother.”
Donnie laughed then held up his hand. “Wait. There was a song he liked to play.” He bit his lip and furrowed his brow trying to recall it. “I can’t remember its name.”
“I think I know the one.” JD took out the guitar left in the closet and began to play a classic Southern lullaby.
Donnie let out a long sigh. “Yes, that’s it. I hadn’t heard that in years.”
JD started to put the guitar back in its case then stopped. He took a deep breath then walked over to the guitar stand and rested it there. They sat in silence, letting the good memories of their father and Gran fill the quiet.
Donnie stood. “It’s time I headed home.” He walked to the front door then turned to his brother. “Don’t be a stranger.”
“Right.”
“You can’t leave empty-handed,” Monica said and disappeared into the kitchen. She came back with several slices of zucchini bread wrapped in foil.
“Thank you,” he said then hugged her.
“It’s just bread.”
“That’s not for the bread.”
“What’s it for?”
“It’s for giving me something back I didn’t even know I’d lost,” he said. Then he quickly kissed her on the mouth. “That’s for the bread.”
JD took a step forward and rested a possessive hand on Monica’s shoulder. “Do that again and I will kill you.”
Donnie grinned then jogged to his car. Within minutes he was gone. JD and Monica spent the rest of their unexpected holiday in bed, and they did the same after seeing the fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Before he arrived, Monica wanted to make it her own independence day as well. She wasn’t the same Monica she’d once been. She’d been careful in how she improved her appearance over the past several months, still not wanting to reveal who she was, but she had emerged a different woman.
Although JD hadn’t said anything, he had bought her silk scarves, brilliantly colored cashmere sweaters, flowing Indian-made skirts and African batik dresses to add color to her wardrobe. At times she wanted to shed her disguise and show him who she really was, but she did not give in to the temptation. She had to preserve her image. It was too dangerous otherwise. But tonight she had dressed in a loose peach dress and made one concession that symbolized freedom. She took off her head wrap and let her hair fall free. Not in its signature Venus style—pressed bone straight—but in its natural state with its slight wave pattern that made it look a little wild.
When JD came through the door and saw her, he stopped. “I’m sorry, Miss. I thought a Ms. Dulane lived here.” He took a step back to leave. “I obviously have the wrong address.”
Monica laughed and grabbed his hand. She pulled him inside. “Do you like it?”
He lifted her hair up and let her midnight tresses cascade through his fingers. “You should never wrap your hair ever again. You’re beautiful.” Not it’s beautiful. But you’re beautiful. She wondered if he was aware of the slip, but she didn’t care. She was happy to please him. At least this part of her life was real.
“Why have you kept it up so long?”
“Time. It takes a lot of care, and I’m usually too busy to bother. So I just braid it up and put on a wrap.”
“Tonight I’m going to show you off.” JD took Monica to a small, cozy restaurant about ten minutes out of town and then to a private location to see the fireworks. It was a warm summer evening, and when they returned home they made fireworks of their own.
JD held Monica close and looked up into the darkness. “Do you want to know what JD stands for?”
She nodded. “I’ve always been curious.”
“Want to guess?”
“I’d need a hint first.”
“I was named after a stone.”
Monica thought for a moment then cringed. “Oh, no. Not Jasper.”
He nodded. “Yes, my mother named me after a stone and my father named me after a fir tree.”
“The Douglas fir?”
He nodded again. “My full name is Jasper Douglas Rozan.” He held up a finger. “And you’re never allowed to call me that.”
Monica laughed. “Not even in the heat of passion?”
“Especially not then.”
“I’ll try to remember.”
“You’d better. I’ll never rise again if you do.”
She slipped her hand down his thigh. “I think I’d manage to persuade you.”
He covered her hand. “Maybe, but I won’t be happy about it.”
Monica fell quiet a moment then licked her lips, unsure of her next question. “Why did you tell me?”
“I just thought my wife should know.”
Monica stiffened. “Your wife?”
He stroked her back in a lazy, sensual motion. “You don’t like the idea?”
Monica shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s just…there are so many things we don’t know about each other.”
“You know more about me than I know about you?”
“Is that a challenge?”
“No, just an observation.”
“If you want this to last, the less you know about me the better.”
“You know we can’t keep this up forever.”
“I didn’t expect it to last forever.”
“I see.”
“JD, marriage is a big step, and I can’t be part of your world—”
“You wouldn’t have to be part of it. I wouldn’t expect you to host parties or go to major events with me. I have other places I want to show you. You could live wherever you want and you’d always be safe with me. I can protect you.”
But who would protect him?
“I know it’s a lot to think about,” JD said when she didn’t reply. “So I’ll let you get used to the idea.”
Monica wasn’t sure she would. He wanted to marry her? Did that mean he loved her? And would he still love her when she revealed the truth that she wasn’t really a scared, dowdy jeweler, but an international symbol of beauty? Would he love Venus, whose fame would eclipse his own? If she told him the truth about why she was hiding, would he think that she was using him? Would he think that had been her agenda all along? His brother had said that he was used to women with hidden agendas. Mayb
e he’d be jaded enough to think she was one of them.
Even if she dared to hope that he would accept her without her disguise, she knew she would be putting his life in danger. She knew the lengths Anton would go to get what he wanted, and that he’d stop at nothing. Tears filled her eyes. She’d found a man whom she desperately loved but couldn’t have. But tonight she wanted to dream. She wanted to believe that anything was possible.
“Yes, I will marry you.”
JD sat up. “What? Really?”
“Yes. I can’t marry you now, but know that I want to.”
“We can—”
Monica pressed her fingers against his lips. “Don’t make any plans. No one else can know. Just you. This is a secret you cannot share.”
“So that means no engagement ring?”
“No.”
“How about three dozen roses?”
“No.”
“An orchestra?”
Monica laughed and held him tight. “No. I don’t need any of those things. You’re enough for me.”
JD gathered her close, and she relaxed into the cushion of his embrace. “And I’m yours forever.”
His words echoed in her heart and mind, and she tried to fight back the pain of loss, knowing that she would soon have to leave him.
Chapter 14
Venus was here. He’d traced her to the little touristy town in Georgia. It was a far cry from the lavish lifestyle she’d led. He could make a call to Stevens and let him know about his success, but part of him was reluctant to let the chase end. He hadn’t seen sight of her yet, but he knew she was staying at the Rozan farmhouse. He picked up his mobile phone then set it down. There was plenty of time to talk to Stevens. Venus wasn’t going anywhere, and one more day wouldn’t matter.
What he needed now was a drink. His part of the job was over. He’d been hired to locate her—that’s all. It was Stevens’s job to figure out how to take her down. Gerald walked into the local bar, which was crowded with tourists and some locals. He ordered a drink then settled into a position where he could watch the other patrons and the main street. He wanted to find out more about Venus. What did the locals think of her? Did she have any friends? Who were the people she trusted? Perhaps someone here could fill in some of those details for him.
