***
Jade’s phone whacked him in the chest. He’d been admiring the different colors of the sky and wondered what he’d done wrong to deserve such an assault. His mind reeled in slow motion as he saw her grappling at nothing to keep from sliding over the side of the cliff. He dove for her but it was too late. It seemed like an eternity but it all happened so fast she didn’t have time to scream. He snaked his way to the edge, hanging over as far as he dared without going over himself. His heart thudded against his ribcage. He’d never felt such utter terror.
“Jade,” he hollered with relief when he saw her several feet down, clinging to a cluster of roots.
Her face was taut with exertion, tears streaking her dusty cheeks. As her feet scrabbled to gain purchase, large clumps of dirt and roots crumbled down the cliff, bouncing away out of sight. The roots she held onto were pulling out of the ground. Every second that passed she was getting further away from him.
He hated to take his eyes off her for a second, as if keeping her in his sights could keep those roots from completely breaking free.
“Hang on,” he begged her.
To his surprise and dismay, she grunted what sounded like a laugh.
“That’s the plan,” she gasped.
He ran several yards in every direction, swearing under his breath. There wasn’t a single sturdy branch he could offer her to grab onto. With a gasp, he slapped his hands to his waist. The modern, borrowed trousers had what he considered to be stupid loops every few inches, in which one put a belt. The trousers were already too tight on him, but Jade had told him it would look nicer if he wore a belt for their meeting with Seda and Hugh that morning. He’d given her his opinion on how stupid it was and she’d told him to put it on. As he whipped the belt out of its loops he’d never been so happy to be under her command.
He crawled back to the edge. Wrapping one end of the sturdy leather belt around his wrist, he hung the side with the buckle down. Jade’s face was red and her arms shook as she continued to hold onto the roots. She still couldn’t gain purchase with her feet against the crumbling cliffside.
“Grab this,” he said, trying to sound calm and reassuring. She shook her head, too exhausted to speak. “Jade, grab the bloody belt so I can pull you up.” He shouted the words, wanting to rail at her to save herself so his heart would stop feeling like it was going to tear into pieces.
With a heaving breath she let go with one hand and grabbed the leather just above the buckle. She looked up at him with fear and worse, hopelessness, in her eyes.
“Other hand, Jade,” he bellowed.
He could have sworn a hint of a smile crossed her trembling lips, then she bit down hard on her bottom lip and let go of the roots, wrapping her other hand around the belt. He heaved with all his might, sending a shower of dust and rocks down to the sea. The belt was smooth and he could see her tired, sweaty fingers slipping. He prayed she could hold on a little longer. He only had to pull her a little farther, then he could grab her and get her safely back on solid ground.
Except he couldn’t. She was now miraculously within his reach but he couldn’t reach for her. He wasn’t allowed to touch her.
“Jade, you have to let me touch you,” he pleaded.
Her fingers slipped some more and she slid down again, almost out of his reach. Looking up at him, she nodded.
“Say it!”
“You can touch me,” she choked out through the grit and dust that coated her face.
He yanked on the belt with one hand while reaching with the other. He grabbed her around the wrist and as soon as he had a firm hold, let go of the belt and clasped her other wrist. Digging his feet into the ground behind him, he jerked her up and over the side.
He collapsed backward, pulling her on top of him, panting from exertion and the last remnants of fear. Wrapping his arms around her, he buried his face in her dusty hair.
“You’re safe,” he breathed.
Her heart raced against his and he wasn’t sure whose was beating faster. He sat up and pushed backwards more, wanting to be far from the edge. Now that he had permission to touch her, he couldn’t seem to let go.
“Thank you,” she finally said, looking up at him as she rested against his chest.
He realized she still clung to him as tightly as he hung onto her. “You’re safe,” he repeated stupidly, too numb to think of anything except the fact that she was alive. And in his arms. “I’m sorry,” he said, letting go before she could remind him of her betrothed and push him away.
Her fingers tightened in the folds of his shirt as she looked at him for the longest time. Then she reached for his head and pulled it down to her, locking her lips with his.
Chapter 10
As Jade kissed Daniel, she finally felt calm again. Her heart still beat as if she’d just finished an uphill run, but now it was from the feel of his mouth pressed against hers, his hands stroking her hair and back. Not because she was about to die.
She’d been sure she was a goner. All of the air had whooshed out of her lungs as she experienced the horrifying feeling of falling through open air, knowing she’d be dashed on the rocks when she finally landed more than a hundred feet below.
It had been sheer mechanical instinct to grab at whatever was in front of her and sheer good luck that the weeds and roots held her weight until Daniel had the brilliant idea to use his belt. Only that morning he’d thought it was the most idiotic, unnecessary item known to modern man. Her shoulders burned from the exertion of hanging on for what seemed like an hour but was probably less than two minutes. She felt bad now for skimping on her shoulder workouts. It was time to up her game in upper body strength, not that she’d be climbing up here again anytime soon.
Between kisses, Daniel kept murmuring that she was safe and she realized with a jolt he was reassuring himself more than her. She had seen the terror in his eyes when he first poked his head over the side. She’d thought it was because he could see the entirety of her precarious position and knew she didn’t stand a chance. Now she wondered if it was because he was in love with her. For the moment that thought didn’t upset her. It was nice having someone care about her enough to look like his own life would end if he lost her.
And this kissing was nice, too. At first it had been a pure stress reaction. A celebration of being alive. But now that her adrenaline levels were going back to normal, she felt every feather soft brush of his lips, every caress of his hands. And she wanted more.
Remembering the feel of his chest against her hand made her palms tingle and she wriggled her fingers under the back of his shirt. Damn borrowed clothes were too tight. Even as she kept their lips together, she began undoing the buttons down the front. Finally she was able to push the fabric off his shoulders and feel his hard muscles, his smooth, hot skin.
She herself was burning as their tongues entwined. Desperate for more, she yanked the bottom three buttons open, two of them popping free into the nearby brush.
“Unfair,” he muttered, taking a quick breath before kissing her some more.
“You’re right,” she agreed and whipped her tank top off. Stupid sports bra. She wished she had a lacy, pretty one on. The kind that was easy to pop off.
He seemed satisfied with the limited exposure. Delighted in fact. He smoothed his palms along her waist, smiling against her mouth.
“You’re very firm,” he said, squeezing her.
She was fairly certain women in his day didn’t weight train or do extended yoga sessions. The rich ones he must have associated with were probably quite plump and squishy. She must seem like beef jerky to him. Self-conscious of her body for the first time ever, she pulled away slightly and searched his eyes.
They twinkled with desire. “I like it,” he said, pressing his fingers into her flesh. “I like it a lot.” He kept his hands on her but didn’t pull her in for another kiss. His eyes turned serious and he frowned. “I like you, Jade.”
“I like you, too,” she said wistfully. It w
as true, but she wished he hadn’t said anything. The ring on her finger felt like a lead weight. Reality stormed back with force. “Oh no, I dropped my phone. Did it go over?”
She gently extricated herself from his embrace, ignoring the disappointed look. Trying harder to ignore her own disappointment. It felt closer to heartbreak. After a moment of staring at her mournfully, he got up and rustled around in the brush and grass.
“It bounced off me before you— I don’t think it went over.”
“You need one,” she said. “Then you could call it and we’d hear it buzzing.”
“Here it is.” He held it up grimly, as if it was a dead snake.
She waited until they were on the path back down before she checked it again, wondering why she kept trying to spare Daniel’s feelings. She should be working harder to hurt and break his feelings. She fell back a few steps and clicked it on. Relief flooded over her when she saw there was finally a return message from Reynolds.
“Watch your step,” Daniel called. “Pay attention to the trail.”
She smiled at the odd way he always seemed to know what she was thinking or doing. Her legs still had tremors from the shock of almost dying and she looked around, making sure the path was smooth for the next twenty feet or so before reading the message.
Can’t come over. You should be fine with your cousin still there.
Well, that hadn’t been worth the wait. Everything crashed in on her. The near slide to her death, the crazed makeout with Daniel, the guilt over her infatuation with him. And now, cold anger.
“What in the hell?” she said aloud.
Daniel whipped around, ready to save her from whatever she’d exclaimed against. He relaxed when he saw she didn’t appear to be in any danger, but paused and let her catch up to him.
“Did you see a wild animal?” he asked. “What kind of wild animals can I expect here?”
“It’s nothing,” she said.
The path was narrow but they could both fit side by side if they walked close. Their swinging arms brushed together while they hiked briskly back to the house. To keep from having to think or feel, she filled Daniel in on the local flora and fauna. She was completely numb on the inside and scratched up and sore on the outside by the time they reached the house.
Without a word of explanation, she left him in the living room and took a long, hot shower and put medicine on all her scrapes, then put on her favorite, fluffy pajamas. She used all her willpower not to check her phone again, needing every last drop of it to keep from calling Reynolds and demanding to know why he couldn’t come over. That wasn’t the kind of relationship she wanted.
Back in the living room, Daniel had a bottle of wine open on the coffee table, with two glasses. A talent competition was on the television and she heard the low sounds of off-key singing. The sight of the second wine glass cheered her a bit. Both because she could use a glass and because it meant Daniel had hoped she’d come back out and join him. She pressed her lips together, wondering how long he might have sat there waiting.
“Hit me,” she said, reaching for a glass as she plopped down beside him. Close enough to make the cushions sink in so their thighs touched. She didn’t scoot away.
His brow furrowed and he recoiled, holding his hands close to his body with great effort. “I most certainly will not hit you. Retract your request at once.”
She laughed but saw he was seriously having a hard time not striking her. “Don’t hit me,” she said. “I only meant pour me a drink.”
He relaxed and shook his head. “Good God, woman, you don’t know how close I almost came. I never would have forgiven myself.”
“I guess it would have been my own fault,” she said with a shrug.
She didn’t think anything could hurt her more than Reynolds’ clear lack of concern about her well-being. Not to mention the fact that he hadn’t said when he’d see her again. They were engaged, for God’s sake. Why was he acting so distant? Because of Daniel being there? If Daniel was really her cousin, he should want to get to know him. If he didn’t believe her little story, he should definitely be there to keep an eye on her. It all boiled down to him not caring, but she kept trying to come up with excuses for him. Daniel handed her a full glass and she drained it one go.
“It’s not whiskey, it’s fine wine,” he said, shocked. “Did you taste it at all?”
She grimaced as the sour grapes hit her stomach. She wasn’t a big drinker and only kept the wine for company. “Whiskey actually sounds more efficient for what I mean to do,” she said. “But I don’t have any, so pour me another.”
He looked scandalized but had no choice but to pour her another, which she downed more slowly, but still downed.
“What do you mean to do?” he asked.
She looked at him, feeling a goofy smile taking over her face. “Get good and drunk.”
He sighed and nodded. “I suppose you’ve earned it. And I think you might already be halfway there.” She giggled when he topped off her glass. “More than halfway,” he added.
“You’re right,” she said. “I did earn it.”
She sniffled and slumped against him, weak and tired from a long, arduous two days. It felt like months had gone by since Daniel had come out of his painting. Two fights on her veranda, a major butt cramp, a gala, and a near tumble to her death. Reynolds hadn’t been there for any of it. Well, one of the fights, but he’d left in a big enough hurry.
“Why doesn’t he care at all?” she whined pathetically.
Daniel turned so he could look at her and she slumped deeper into the cushions. “I think I’ve told you already,” he said curtly, clearly not wanting to discuss Reynolds. “Shall I remind you?”
She snorted a tipsy laugh. “It’s okay. I remember.”
“Do you, though?” he asked, taking her arms and helping her sit up straighter. “And if you do, why do you allow him to treat you badly?”
“He doesn’t treat me badly,” she said automatically. He raised his brows in disbelief and she remembered she’d only just moaned about the exact opposite. “He’s just busy. He has a very high-powered job.”
Daniel made a rude noise. “And unless the woman who introduced you at the gala was lying, you run an empire that you started yourself from nothing. And yet you find time to constantly check your phone for any crumbs from that di—”
“It’s not an empire,” she said, cheeks heating up. “She wasn’t lying, just exaggerating. It’s three gyms and a health spa. And a fitness channel on the internet.” She smiled and patted her cheeks. “I could show you, if you want.”
“Of course I do,” he said. “I want to know everything about you.” He looked surprised at that sudden proclamation, but he pushed out his chin and nodded firmly as if to reiterate it.
“But why?”
He frowned, bit his lip, and furrowed his brow, a frazzled combination that made her laugh in her tipsy state. He seemed offended by her laughter and shrugged, refusing to answer. She could have demanded it, but instead got her laptop so he could see her exercise videos on a bigger screen than her phone. She found that she desperately wanted to impress him. It had to be the wine.
She showed him the different categories and the page introducing the three other trainers who filmed classes for the site. She explained how some of the videos were free, but that many people paid to do the more advanced classes they offered and that they updated the classes every month to keep it interesting.
“It’s also good to keep your body guessing,” she said. She was so engrossed in her life’s passion that she didn’t notice him staring at her until she clicked on one of her videos and turned to make sure he was watching. “There,” she said, taken aback by his entranced gaze. “That’s me on the screen.”
He never took his eyes off her. “You’re amazing. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. The strongest. The most profoundly brilliant—”
She pushed her laptop aside and reached for him, cutting off the flo
w of words by pressing her mouth against his. She couldn’t stand to hear them, not from him. It hurt too much, made her feel too much. His breath was warm against her cheek as he pulled away from her frenzied kiss.
“It’s all true, Jade,” he said, running his fingers down her arms, trailing kisses down her throat. “All true.”
“You don’t even know me,” she said despairingly, all the while pulling at his shirt.
He growled and tore the shirt off, the remaining buttons popping in every direction. He placed her hand on his heart.
“I do know you. I don’t know how, but I’ve never been so certain of anything in my life.”
He pulled her onto his lap as he kissed her some more, sliding his hand under the hem of her fluffy pajama top. No constricting sports bra was there to hinder him this time. She gasped when his fingertips skimmed across her breasts, raising goosebumps and sending a liquid jolt of desire down her core.
Just as she’d never been so scared as when she went over the side of the cliff, she’d never felt such heady, maddening, aching, lust. She wanted Daniel more than she’d wanted to get back to safety. Her entire life felt dependent on his touch. She reached for the button of his pants, glad to find he’d never replaced the belt. She was also glad she’d never reinstated that ridiculous no-touch rule.
She undid the button, pausing only a split second to pull away from his teasing kisses along her neck. His eyes flashed dark amber fire and she shivered to see his need was as great as hers. She felt it too, as she pressed against his zipper. One quick movement and she’d be crossing a line she never thought she’d cross.
Damn it, why was she thinking of lines right now? She needed to be thinking about zippers and unzipping them. Daniel had managed to unbutton all but one of the buttons on her fluffy pajama top and it lay in a puddle around her waist. He leaned her back to nuzzle at her breasts, his hands gripping her sides. Without conscious thought she rearranged herself to straddle him, needing that hard fullness against her, even if she couldn’t yet make herself decide to free it and herself of this awful, wonderful need.
Renaissance Rogue (Cursed Painting Book 3) Page 8
