by Sara Orwig
The minute she was in her room, she tossed aside her purse and let out her breath. The morning had taken a toll. She berated herself for succumbing to his charm, for kissing him back, for responding in every way to him.
When she thought about what she’d wrung out of him, she threw up her hands. She’d won a victory of sorts over Jake and she might as well enjoy it while it lasted. She’d gotten a bit of revenge for his deception, making him pay for it with the million dollars to her and an even bigger concession—coaching the kids. “I won, Jake!” she exclaimed aloud, spinning around in celebration. “I won! Serves you right for what you did!”
She walked out to the balcony to look below, but Jake’s car was nowhere in sight.
Five
J ake watched Emily hurry into the hotel. The slight sway of her hips was sexy, and when he looked at the thick curtain of brown hair that swung with each step, he thought about his fingers wrapped in its softness. He wanted her. She could arouse him with a look or a sentence or a touch—too many ways. He suspected she had no idea of the effect she had on him.
He’d never really seen her before. He thought he had her all figured out—quiet and sweet and intelligent, very efficient in an office. But he’d ditched that image. That wasn’t the woman who’d laid down terms for him to meet this morning and wrung an agreement out of him. As she disappeared into the hotel he slammed the car door shut, got behind the wheel and drove away.
Damned if she hadn’t bested him this morning! He shook his head and had to laugh at himself. He’d broken one of his hard-and-fast rules for negotiation—never underestimate your opponent. He’d underestimated Emily by a country mile. All because of stupid carelessness on his part. He really should have tossed the letter.
He remembered Emily in his arms, her blue eyes widening, her pulse racing. She couldn’t say no to his kisses. Jake shifted uncomfortably. He got hot and hard just thinking about those kisses. She had always turned him on easily, but now she did it more easily than ever.
He vowed he’d have her in his bed within the month. Hopefully, within the week. If she stayed in his house, they’d be together and he was going to do his damnedest to seduce her.
She was sexy, passionate and more responsive than any other woman he’d known. She set him on fire. He’d been angry, wanting to subdue her to his will. Instead, he’d stirred her passion and she’d melted him with her kisses.
Except for their difficulty getting pregnant, this had been a good match. Until she found the letter. Damn, why hadn’t he destroyed it at once? If she hadn’t found it…
He had to stop speculating! She’d found it and there was nothing he could do to change that. But a baby would solve everything. Trying to get Em pregnant had been the best part of his life.
The thought itself astounded him. Making love to her had become important to him.
What would happen if she wanted to walk out on him when their six months were up? He was certain he could prevent it just as he had now. Everyone had a price and he knew Emily’s. Although she had surprised him. He vowed he would not underestimate her a second time.
Driving home, he thought about the coming week, the business calls he had to make. But within minutes, his thoughts slid back to Emily.
The kitten had claws, he’d found out. She’d driven a difficult bargain and one he didn’t care to honor. He could give up the money, but damned if he wanted to waste his time each week with a handful of high-school kids.
He shook his head ruefully. Most women he knew would have dropped it instantly at the promise of diamonds or a fancy car or a month at a luxury spa. Not practical Emily.
Visions of her naked in his arms taunted him, and he inhaled deeply, trying to shift his mind elsewhere.
He swept through the tall, electronic wrought-iron gates to his thirty-acre property. Irritated over the prospects for the afternoon, Jake sped up the drive to his sprawling 22,000-square-foot three-story hilltop mansion overlooking a twenty-five-acre lake. The stately Corinthian columns spread along the lengthy verandas and the upper balconies. Jake drove toward the nine-car garage, parked in the circular drive in front of it and strode in through an entry hall that led into a kitchen where his chef greeted him.
“Welcome back, Mr. Thorne,” the gray-haired man said, lifting a covered pan out of an oven.
“Morning, Charley. Smells enticing in here. It’s been too long since I’ve eaten one of your delicious meals,” he said. “Your cooking is one of the good things about coming home.”
“Thank you, sir.” Charley took the lid off a pan, allowing steam and the inviting smells of a succulent roast to escape into the room.
If he stopped to think about it, Jake was ever grateful he’d been able to hire Charley away from the elegant Chicago restaurant where he’d been chef. Unless he was needed for a special event, Charley worked four days a week, leaving enough food prepared for the other three.
“I’m already hungry in spite of just eating breakfast,” Jake said, crossing the large kitchen and walking through the breakfast room with its oak fireplace and polished oak floors. Hopefully, he could talk Emily into eating dinner with him. As he passed through the room, he greeted Olive, the head of his household cleaning staff,
Strolling down a wide hallway to the large open area of his main living room, he looked up at the soaring twenty-foot ceiling with the large crystal chandeliers he’d bought in France. His gaze passed over the pale-yellow walls, the curving double staircase and row of French doors that opened to the terrace. He remembered the first time he’d brought Emily home with him, She’d stopped in the foyer beside his marble fountain and stood staring at the room, taking in antiques, elegant furniture, marble floors.
“Jake, you live in a palace!” she’d exclaimed.
“I like beautiful things, my houses, my gardens, my pools, my cars, my wife,” he said, turning to take her arm. “I’ll show you around in a while, but first I have other plans,” he said in a husky voice. He’d given all his staff a week off. Meals had been prepared for them, and he hadn’t wanted anyone around. “Come here, Em,” he said.
Her wide-eyed look changed instantly as she shifted her attention to him. “Jake,” she whispered, sliding her arm around his neck as he pulled her to him.
But as he peeled away her silk blouse, she leaned away and glanced around. “Jake, this house is so open. With all the glass, we don’t have privacy.” She continued to look around. “You must have staff to keep this…”
“I have a large staff that I’ll introduce you to next week. In the meantime, we have all the privacy we could possibly want. My staff is gone and there’s a high wall surrounding the house equipped with electronic surveillance equipment. And another privacy wall surrounds the grounds with even more surveillance. No one will disturb us. This property is secure and private.”
“I knew you were wealthy,” she said, studying him, “but I never imagined all this.”
He shrugged. “So is that a plus or minus in your eyes?”
She inhaled and glanced around. “Neither. Something I’ll just have to get used to. My lifestyle has been a world apart from yours.”
“No longer,” he’d said, leaning down to trail kisses along her throat and cup her breast in his hand, hearing her gasp of pleasure and knowing he’d taken her mind off his house and wealth.
Jake shook himself out of memories. He was aroused, but determined to wipe her out of his thoughts.
He took the stairs two at a time to the second floor and strode along the wide hallway that overlooked the living area on one side and the gardens on the other. At the end of the hallway, he turned toward the master bedroom suite with its adjoining exercise room, nearby office and morning kitchen.
He strode across the sitting room of the master suite to his closet, where he changed into shorts and a T-shirt and went to exercise, determined to get Emily out of his thoughts for at least an hour.
He worked out fiercely, then headed down to the pool to swim laps. He
tried to avoid glancing toward the chaise longue where he’d made passionate love to Emily.
After a shower, Jake dressed in navy slacks and a navy knit shirt. He spent the next hours in calls and at his computer, finally stopping in the afternoon. When the phone rang, he answered to hear Emily’s voice.
“Jake, I’ve talked to the boys and they’ll be at the practice field at four o’clock. I’ll have my bags loaded in my car here at the hotel and I’ll just meet you there. Let me give you the address. Do you have a pen?”
“Go ahead,” he said and scribbled the address, frowning when he realized where he’d be going. “That’s a tough part of town.”
“Scared, Jake?” she asked.
Anger flashed, but at the same time, he grinned because she was taunting him. “Not for me, but I’m not enthused about you driving there alone.”
“I’m fine, Jake. I visit the high school for projects I’m involved in all the time.”
“Dammit, you shouldn’t be doing that.”
“I’ll meet you. You’ll still get the refreshments?”
“Yes, I will. Dammit, Emily—”
“Stop swearing. After you meet them, you’ll like them.”
“Oh, sure,” he said dryly. “Eat dinner here with me tonight.”
“Fine,” she answered casually. “See you at four.” The line went dead and he swore again. He did not want to deal with a bunch of kids. He shook his head. He’d gotten himself into this one, but he was going to make Emily pay in the most pleasurable way possible.
That afternoon, Emily headed over to the high school. Jittery and on edge, she wasn’t sure if Jake would even show up. She couldn’t imagine Jake would really find any task daunting and suspected he simply saw this as a colossal waste of his time and energy.
The school was in one of the older areas of town. Yards were filled with cars, some on concrete blocks. A few houses were boarded up. Some needed a coat of paint. The high school itself was an aging brick building that stood in stark contrast to the plush surroundings she inhabited now.
Jake was parked by the practice field. His Jaguar stood out with the sparkle of a diamond dropped in ashes. She slowed and stopped behind Jake’s car, her pulse racing.
Across the field, she saw the boys lounging on dilapidated bleachers that had collapsed at one end.
Jake stepped out into bright sunshine in jeans and a T-shirt, his hands on his hips as he waited. When she emerged from her car, his gaze slowly drifted over her blue T-shirt and jeans. Tingles zinged to her toes beneath his obviously appreciative gaze as she approached him. Each time she saw him, she reacted to him and couldn’t keep from thinking how handsome he was.
“I can think of a far better way to spend the next hour,” he drawled, and her pulse sped another notch. There was no mistaking the innuendo in his husky voice or the look in his eye.
“I appreciate this, Jake. And you’ll never know how much it’ll mean to those kids.”
“I doubt that. You probably coerced them into this as much as you did me,” he said, hitting closer to the truth than she wanted to admit. The boys had been less than enthusiastic, but she wanted Jake to get to know them, to spend time with people who grew up the way he did. She thought he’d lost his perspective and lived a life that shielded him from people he could help.
“You’ll charm them. Trust me, you’ll win them over,” she said, linking her arm through his and tugging lightly to lead him toward the boys.
Even though he walked beside her, she could still feel the tension and clash of wills between them and knew Jake was hating every moment. “You have facets to you, Emily, that I never realized before. Today has been an eye-opener.”
“I think it’s best I don’t ask whether you like what you’ve discovered,” she said lightly. But she suspected Jake was seething over this whole arrangement. She knew she was taunting a tiger.
“These guys are high school?” Jake asked under his breath as they approached the four boys who sat sprawled on the bleachers and made no move to get up.
“Remember, they’re football players, so they’re big. Enzo and Tanek are juniors, and Orlando and Anthony are seniors this year.”
“Emily, I was a damn field-goal kicker, not a lineman. Those bruisers are linemen.”
“But you’re not afraid to work with them. It wouldn’t matter if they were half again as big. You’ll manage.” Without waiting for his answer, she continued, “You can reach them. Don’t act like this is insurmountable. They’re like you were at one time.”
“Not exactly,” he said, eyeing the group as they drew closer. “Dammit!”
She could hear the anger in Jake’s voice. She’d make introductions and leave him on his own—she had no doubt that once she was out of the picture, Jake would take charge. It would take time to reach the kids, but eventually he’d work with them to everyone’s benefit. Her heart fluttered and her palms were damp. What if Jake walked out? No, they’d made a deal and she expected him to stick by it.
They halted near the bleachers. “Hi!” Emily said, greeting the guys with a smile. She received smiles and warm greetings in return.
She still had her arm through Jake’s. “I want all of you to meet my husband. I’ve told you about his football years. This is Jake Thorne.” She looked at Orlando, the leader of the boys. The first day she’d met them, he’d taken charge. He was a natural leader. While he and Jake might clash, this was the one whose lead the others would follow. He was also the one she was most interested in Jake getting to know.
“Orlando Crane, this is Jake.” She stared at Orlando, who was seated with his legs apart, elbows on knees, his thick blond hair a curly mat on his thick neck. His sleeveless T-shirt revealed powerful, sculpted biceps. He held a football in his hands. His blue eyes shifted to Emily as he unfolded, standing and tucking the football under his arm. To her relief Jake offered his hand and Orlando shook it, enveloping Jake’s hand in his. They were the same height, but she suspected Orlando might have thirty pounds on Jake.
Jake’s eyes conveyed his fury, and she wondered if he would honor his bargain. She knew he wasn’t a quitter. She turned to a boy stretched on his side with his slender blond head propped on his hand. “Tanek Kozlik,” she said, then paused. He glanced at Orlando and then stood, jumping down off the bleachers and coming forward to shake Jake’s hand. By that time, the other two guys came to their feet and approached Jake.
Tanek was two inches taller than Jake, she guessed, and perhaps fifty pounds heavier. “Nice wheels,” he said to Jake in heavily accented English.
“Anthony Day, meet Jake Thorne,” she said to a young man with powerful muscles, ebony skin and a compact body. He was inches shorter than the other guys, under six feet she was certain, but he played football and was friends with the others. Anthony gave Jake a friendly grin and she was grateful that he seemed receptive. Although, she knew that might not be the case when she was no longer around.
She turned to the last guy, a black-haired boy from Costa Rica, Enzo Oquendo, who shook hands in silence with Jake.
“I’ll get out of the way,” she said, “but before I go, I know Jake brought some drinks and a few snacks. Tanek, if you and Enzo would come with me, I’ll get everything out of Jake’s car and you can bring them back here,” she said, deliberately leaving Jake to get to know Orlando and Anthony better before they started. One last look at Jake’s smoldering gray eyes caused her to stand on tiptoe and brush Jake’s cheek with a kiss.
“See you later,” she said lightly. “Orlando, Anthony, I’ll see you next week.” She knew she’d see them when they tutored the elementary-school kids.
Together with the two boys, she crossed the field and opened the trunk of Jake’s car, getting out a cooler and insulated containers that held the pizzas. That should help smooth over the afternoon. The two thanked her and told her goodbye, friendly as ever. She hoped Jake had as easy a time with them.
As she climbed behind the wheel, she saw Jake talking to Orl
ando and Anthony, and she said a small prayer that all would go well.
On the long winding drive to Jake’s palatial Dallas home, her anger with him returned. Jake had deceived her for money he didn’t need. The three-story mansion was stunning. The first level had a billiards room, game room, exercise room and theater. There was both a banquet room and a smaller dining room, and a paneled bar and wine cellar. Growing familiar with the mansion had included getting to know his staff. It had taken her weeks to meet and get to know everyone, particularly those she seldom saw. She was constantly reminded that he didn’t need to inherit more money.
She had spent the morning on her cell phone, consulting an accountant, talking to her father and others who ran the organizations where she intended her money to go. Monday, she wanted to start getting it moved so it would be out of Jake’s reach.
She thought about going to visit her parents, getting away from Jake. But Saturday night was a busy time for her father, so she decided she’d get through tonight at the mansion and see her parents tomorrow night.
She showered and changed into a red silk lounging outfit, deciding to skip dinner and avoid Jake tonight as much as possible. She had one of the staff carry her suitcases to a guest bedroom at the far end of the hall from the master bedroom. She’d ruled out the third-floor bedrooms as too inconvenient and decided the opposite wing on the second floor would be far enough from Jake.
She was still gathering clothes, packing more to move to her own bedroom when she heard Jake coming down the hall. She glanced at her watch and saw that Jake was an hour earlier than she’d expected. He charged into the room and she was jolted by his stormy gaze.
“Jake! What happened?”
“Dammit, Emily! If I didn’t work out, they would’ve killed me,” Jake said, crossing the room in long angry strides. He had a dark smudge of dirt on his cheek, his sleeve was torn and his T-shirt had grass stains. Otherwise, he looked fine and far from injured.
