Mine Until Dawn (29 page)

“Where did you do your undergrad?”

“UC Santa Barbara. I was accepted at MIT, but my mother was still dealing with my dad’s death and needed me here.”

That was weird. From what he’d heard about Jade’s mother, the woman wasn’t the needy type. It amazed him how the Fitzgeralds treated Jade like a porcelain doll. The woman had strength and spunk. She was also moving dangerously close to his crotch and his quickly growing erection.

Vince forced himself to concentrate on their conversation. “Graduate school?”

“UCLA. I met my ex-husband during my second year.”

Yeah, the idiot who’d made feel less than a woman. He’d love to smash his face in.

“What was his field? Moron-ics?” A shuddering groan escaped him when she stroked him, not with the sponge, which was now beside his foot on the shower floor, but with her hand.

“I like that.” Jade laughed.

Vince wasn’t sure whether he meant his description of her ex’s major or his response to her touch. He thrust against her hand, the soap making the motion smooth.

“Actually Doug was a visiting professor, an architect. He was a frequent keynote speaker at the Hammer Museum lectures.”

Vince grunted. What a time to have a conversation about her ex. “He could be a top scientist, and I’d still say he was a moron and….” His voice trailed off when she kissed his chest, followed through to his belly and then went on her knee. Her face was leveled with the tip of his engorged penis, which she still gripped. “Jade? What are you doing?”

“Making you feel good.”

He turned off the water with a shaky hand. Looking down at the crown of her wet hair, his stomach muscle tightened with desire and something close to panic.

“You don’t have to.” His voice sounded foreign to his ears, like a frog got lodged in his throat. “Not like this.”

“But I want to.” She smiled, her hand pumping him. “Every time you touch me, it’s like you know my body better than I do. You know exactly where to touch and what to do, when to apply pressure or ease off. It’s weird, yet amazing. I want to learn your body, too. I want to know what drives you crazy. It’s only fair.”

Christ. Didn’t she know he went a little crazy every time he slid inside her body or heard his name on her lips as she peaked with pleasure? “I do, baby. With every—”

“Shh.” She teased him with her tongue, making him shudder. “Let me love you. Please.”

Vince drew a shaky breath and surrendered to the exquisite torture of her mouth and tongue. He wished he could close his eyes and lose himself in her, but it was too fascinating watching her. Her luscious lips wrapped around him, her sexy eyes half-closed in pleasure, water sparkling on her lush body like liquid diamonds. His sweet, adventurous temptress.

He braced himself against the wall with one arm and reached down to caress her scalp, her face, play with her wet strands. He tugged gently, until their gazes locked.

She took all of him in and a ragged gasp of pleasure escaped him, his hand clutching her head. He closed his eyes, letting her work her magic on him. Sweet mother of God, she nearly drove him out of his mind. When her strokes deepened, Vince knew it was time to end the torture.

“Stop,” he warned, his tongue heavy and throat dry. She didn’t heed him, instead her hand reached around to grab his butt cheek and pull him closer, her strokes becoming faster. “Jade—”

Everything swung out of focus and he knew he was lost. He was helpless to fight her or the surge of heat threatening to swallow him. Vince closed his eyes and threw his head back as spasms of intense pleasure crushed through his senses. His mind went blank, his knees crumbling.

When sanity returned, he was leaning against the wall, chest heaving, body shaking. Too weak to stand on his own two feet. Jade slid her arms around his mid-section and hugged him tight, then ran a soothing hand up and down his back. He knew he should say something. Anything. But his tongue stayed glued to the roof of his mouth.

It was the same every time he made love to her, he went a little insane. He’d always prided himself on being in control of his body. The joke was on him now.

Jade shifted and cupped his face, her smile sweet and her eyes glowing. “That was beautiful.”

He soaked up the sweet, tender kisses she pressed on his lips and face. Lord, how he loved her. Vince stiffened. Could this really be love or was sex messing up with his head? No, what he shared with Jade went beyond sex. He loved her. The question was what were her feelings toward him?
  

Jade nudged him. “Hey. Are you okay?”

He hadn’t meant to fall for her but it happened, and now he needed her love, longed to hear her say it. What if he was setting himself for another rejection? The one from his father nearly destroyed him. He didn’t know what it would do to him if Jade dismissed him and his feelings, too. Better not chance it. He averted his eyes, as if not seeing her beautiful face and lush body would stop the fear clawing his gut.

“Vince?”

He released a breath and turned to her. Her smile was gone and the light in her eyes had dimmed. Vince raked his brain for something to say.

“I’m cool. I just need food to replenish my strength to keep up with you, baby.” Her hands fell away from his body and crossed over her chest, her eyes flashing. Was that the wrong thing to say? “Jade, that was a compliment.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Really. You’re adventurous and spontaneous. Nothing like the picture you painted last night.”

“But it’s always about me, isn’t it? What I want, do, and feel. Never about you.”

“What are you talking about?”

Her face scrunched up and looked as though she wanted to smack him. “You know what? Nothing. Just silly old me blowing off steam.” She jerked a thumb toward the shower door. “Go. Please.”

“Jade—”
 

“I need to wash my hair, Vince.” She gave him her back and turned the shower back on.

Yeah, maybe he needed to leave. Everything he said only made her angrier. “I’ll start on breakfast.”

Vince pushed door and stepped out of the shower. He retrieved a towel from the rack and wrapped it around his waist, his gaze on Jade as she reached for the shampoo. He’d pissed her off, again. And he had no idea why. What did she want from him? Talking after sex wasn’t his thing, and he wasn’t good at expressing his feelings.

Vince left the bathroom, pulled on a pair of Levis and a white T-shirt, grabbed his cell phone, and headed for the kitchen. Once he had the coffeemaker going, he checked his voicemail. Eddie Fitzgerald hadn’t called. He called the detective and left a message, then started removing edibles from the fridge. His thoughts shifted to Jade.

Having her pissed off at him bothered him, especially when he couldn’t do anything about it. Vince looked at the collection of fruit, eggs, and bread, and smiled. Maybe there was something he could do. Food had a way of mellowing people out, and the two of them had worked up an appetite since last night. They never got to eat anything at the party.

Vince just finished setting the table when his cell phone rang. Eddie Fitzgerald’s number was displayed. “Hey, detective. What’s going on?”

“You left a message to call you back.” Eddie sounded pissed.

Something cold coiled in Vince’s chest, but still he attempted to keep his tone casual. “Just wandering about Yannick’s prognosis.”

“The blood work came back negative. He’d faked the heart attack, but it doesn’t matter anymore,” Eddie ground out.

“What do you mean?”
 

“The bastard checked himself out sometime this morning.”

“What?”

“He’s gone, Knight. I don’t want to bore you with the details but suffice to say it reflects badly on us. He waited until my partner and I left, around six this morning, took down the guys who’d replaced us, and disappeared. My captain is already yelling gross negligence on our part. There’s a manhunt going on right now.”

Vince took a gulp of his coffee and forced it down his throat, his mind churning with questions and possibilities. One thing was for sure, Yannick would be coming after him.

“He didn’t kill the officers, did he?”

Eddie let out a derisive laugh. “No. He landed both of them in the hospital with concussion, but that doesn’t make him any less a wanted man. This diplomat guy, uh, Bouchard. Just how much do you know about him?”

“Not much. But I intend to find out more as soon as I get online. My apartment, unfortunately, has no Internet access.”

“I know a friend who can do a background check on him. I’ll be in touch if something comes up. Meanwhile sit tight and watch your back. And don’t do anything stupid like pay Bouchard a visit or….”

Vince tuned out Eddie’s diatribe. Jade had entered the room, and in white Capri pants, a white floral shirt, and low-heeled sandals, she looked delectable. And ready to bolt. The oversize handbag she’d brought from her house and the garment bag for the gold dress was clutched in her hands. She wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’ve got to go, Eddie,” Vince interrupted the cop and hung up the phone, his gaze not leaving Jade. He dropped the cell phone on the table and started toward her.

CHAPTER 21

Jade watched Vince warily as he moseyed toward her, his eyes narrowed.
 
Dressed in dark clothes and his chin needing a shave, he looked striking and dangerous, like a powerful panther primed for action. Maybe that was her problem. He was overwhelmingly physical in everything he did, but so beyond her reach emotionally. Call her greedy, but she wanted all of him, the good and the bad, past and present.

Her gaze shifted to the table. Stacks of gold-brown French toast, crisp bacon, fresh fruit salad, orange juice, and coffee. The man didn’t do anything in small measures.

“Smells and looks good,” she said.

Vince stopped before her and dropped his chin to study her face. “What’s up with the bags?”

How she wished she could tell him the truth. Just bare it all and see what happened. Unfortunately, she tried that once and it exploded in her face.

“I’m going home.” She gave him a tiny smile.

Confusion flashed in Vince’s eyes. “To your mother’s place?”

“No. Mine.”

“Why? There’s nothing in that house. No furniture or—”

“I know. I’m going to collect my clothes and head on to Dana Point. Remember my vacation?”

“Uh.” He scratched his beard stubble. “Okay. Let’s eat first.” He pried the bag from her hand and dropped it on the floor, then draped his arm around her shoulder.

Jade shoulders sagged. The way he didn’t try to talk her out leaving bugged her. She wanted him to ask her…no, beg her to stay with him. God, she was such an idiot. Vince Knight wasn’t the begging type.

Oblivious to her vibes, Vince kissed her temple as he led her to the table. “Hmm, you smell wonderful. I’m becoming partial to violets.”

Her insides softened. He made it so hard to stay mad at him, the gorgeous beefcake. He saw her to her chair, settled across from her, and flashed a dimpled smile. He was breathtakingly gorgeous. Just so unfair.

Afraid that he might see her feelings, Jade’s gaze moved to the meal before her. “The French toast looks scrumptious.”

“Banana cinnamon French toast, my specialty,” he corrected. “Here you go.”

He stacked her plate with four pieces, added cantaloupe/melon/strawberry salad on the side, then gave her the choice of either warmed maple berry or blueberry syrups. Jade was too hungry to let her inner turmoil spoil her appetite. For a while, the only sounds in the room were those of utensils rubbing against the plate.

She was halfway through her meal when she looked up. Vince was watching her with an indulgent smile, his plate still untouched, a piece of bacon between his thumb and finger.

“What?”

His gaze deliberately moved past her mouth to the V-neck of her blouse before meeting hers. “I love a woman with a hearty appetite.”

Love? Her heart did a rickety dance. That was the second time he’d used that word this morning. His response in the bathroom clearly showed the man wasn’t ready to talk about his feelings. He probably didn’t realize he’d said it.

Oh well, she could keep things simple, too. Go with the flow. “You didn’t give me a chance to eat anything last night, you and your insatiable sexual appetite.”

“I’ve barely started.” He grinned, picked up his fork and started to eat. “I’ve been fantasizing about you since we met, Jade Fitzgerald, and I intend to fulfill every last one of them.”

Jade blinked, her glass of orange juice frozen on her lips. “Fantasizing? Really?”

“The first day we met, when you ordered me out of your office, I wanted to lock the door, hoist you on that colossal desk of yours, and do naughty things to your delectable body.”

Jade choked on her orange juice.

Vince leaned forward to thump her back. “I probably wouldn’t have left your office for hours and you’d have missed your class.”

His words sent desire skipping along her nerves, making her stomach clench. “But you looked so angry. I thought you wanted to shake me or something.”

“Or something. In the hotel elevator, on our way to my room, I was tempted to stop it. I’d had three days to stew while waiting for you to return my call. Then you walked in on those stilettos and that sexy dress and I knew I was gone. You kept pushing for answers, and I kept thinking up ways to shut you up.” The smile that followed was downright sinful. “All of them ended with you writhing against the elevator wall.”

Oh boy, he had her. Jade pressed her thighs together to control the rush of heat. This was good, a step toward the expressing-emotions la-la land. The nymph in her wanted details. “Doing what?”

“Baby, you have no idea what can be accomplished in an elevator.” Vince went back to his food as though the discussion was over.

“Oh, you, spoilsport.” She jabbed her fork in his direction. “Don’t you know the juice is in the details?”

“I’d rather show than tell.” He wriggled his eyebrows. “But the scene in the shower this morning? Much better than any of my fantasies.”

Jade grinned and sipped her juice. “Oh, you liked that.”
 
For a moment, she could swear a self-conscious look crossed his face. Vince, awkward? Yeah, right. “Did you?” she pushed.

“Do you need to ask? Okay, now it’s your turn,” he added quickly.

Jade gulped and shook her head. Even after last night’s love-making, she couldn’t sit across the table from him and discuss her fantasies. It just wasn’t her.

“I don’t…didn’t have any thoughts of us that way.”

“Liar.”

She laughed and covered her face with her hands. Should she dare? It would be a first. But then again, a lot of the naughty things they did last night and this morning were new to her, too. She studied him through her fingers, the glint in his eyes. He looked so adorable and approachable, and it was wonderful to see him open up. She’d be a fool if she didn’t join in.

Jade dropped her hands on the table, picked up her fork, and toyed with it. “Your voice.”

Vince’s brow shot up. “What about my voice?”

“You know. It’s sexy. Indecent.” A laugh escaped her. “I listened to the message you left three times and kept seeing silk sheets and naked bodies.” She shot him a glance and caught his bemused expression. “Then you walked through my door and…wow. I guess your voice should have prepared me. One look at you and I knew.”

“What?” He leaned forward, his food forgotten.

“That, uh, you’d be a wonderful lover. I’m happy to say you didn’t disappoint me.”

He nodded his head regally. “Thank you. Now let’s hear the details of those fantasies.”

Jade laughed at the eagerness in his voice. “I’d rather show than tell,” she repeated his earlier words.

“Deal.” He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips. “That can take hours, days even. Seems you’ll have to postpone your vacation. Paradise can be found right here, sweetheart. I’m happy you’re staying.”

Oh, the sneaky bastard. All that talk about fantasies so he could manipulate her into staying. “You think you’re so slick, don’t you?”

He grinned, unrepentant. “What are you talking about?”

“You tricked me.”

“We both get what we want, hardly a trick.” He continued to eat.

That was true up to a point, but she’d been looking forward to her beach time. Alone. Not particularly appealing now, though. Throw in Vince and it could be perfect.

“I’m on vacation, Vince.” That wasn’t what she meant to say.

“So treat this place as a five star resort.” He glanced around the sparsely decorated room and grimaced. “Not much to look at, but it comes with five star services. All your needs will be anticipated and met.”

A flush of heat spread across her body at the promise in his voice. It wasn’t that she minded his apartment. The apartment had all the amenities anyone could possibly want. The view wasn’t bad either, lots of trees. But it wasn’t her place. With Vince, she needed to be in a familiar environment to even out the power equation.

“I love the idea, but we could do all that at the beach house.”

“Too far from the action.” He leaned back. “Which reminds me, I just spoke with your cousin.”

Smooth change of subject, but she wasn’t giving up. If it was the last thing she did, she’d teach him the meaning of the word compromise. That man loved to have his way too much.

“What did Eddie have to say?” Jade got up and picked up the plates from the table.

“You don’t have to do that. You’re my guest.” Vince stood, too.

Jade took a step back, putting the plates out of his reach. “This guest intends to carry her weight around…hey!”

He’d scooped her in his arms in one smooth move. “That’s my job, baby.”

“You’re so silly. Put me down before I drip syrup all over you.”

“Drip away. We’ll just head back to the shower. I like to shower with you.” He walked with her to the sink and set her down by the sink. “See? I have a dishwasher.”

Just as well, Jade thought, looking at the pile of things he’d used. “I load. You talk. What did my cousin say?”

“That can wait. I can’t.” He carried her back to the bedroom.

***

Jade shifted so she faced Vince. They were on their way to her brother’s home to return the emeralds, but she still couldn’t get over what he’d told her.

“Do you really think Yannick could pull something like that? Render himself unconscious so he could be rushed to the hospital just to escape police custody?”

“In a heart beat. Besides, it makes perfect sense. He knew he didn’t stand a chance at the precinct, and you saw how crazy E.R. can get from our visit last night. Cops or no cops, he had a much better chance at escaping while there than at the precinct.”

Jade hunched her shoulders. Knowing that assassin was out there, free, plotting chilled her to the bone. “Do you think he’ll…he’ll come after you?”

Vince nodded. “Oh, yes. I’ll be waiting.”

Jade studied his strong profile, the set face, the ticking muscle on his jaw, the way he gripped the steering wheel. He was tense. The words he spoke last night at the club flashed through her mind. His attacker was faster and better trained, he’d said. It all made sense now. He couldn’t afford to let down his guard where Yannick was concerned. Cold fingers crawl up her spine and goose bumps spread over her skin at her thought of that psycho assassin coming after him. Surely her cousin would offer him protection.

“What did Eddie say?” she asked.

“Hang around and watch my back.”

They both fell silent, each lost in his and her thoughts, yet both aware of the increased danger Vince was in. In a while, he pulled up to the gate of her family home. Jade talked to Mrs. B., and the gates swung open.

Lex was home, and didn’t seem surprised to see Jade with Vince. He hugged her before his dark gaze swung to Vince. “We missed you at dinner last night.”

“We had other plans,” Jade explained quickly. “Aunt Karyn understood.” She’d been upfront with her aunt when they arrived, told her they wouldn’t stay long.
 

“I see.” His gaze took in the bandage on Vince’s temple and the bruises on his right cheek. “Knight, I didn’t figure you as the brawling type.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “He wasn’t in a brawl, silly, just—”

“I assume you’re here to return the emeralds,” her brother interrupted her, nodding at the leather box in her hand.

Jade ignored him and looked at Vince, who was staring at her with an amused expression. Oh, he thought her attempt to deflect Lex’s attention away from him was funny? The man had no idea how terribly inquisitive and sharp her brother was. If Lex found out about his investigation, then bye-bye their love-nest and planned show-and-tell trysts. She turned to her brother.

“I’ll put them in the safe, but I’ll be back.” The warning in her voice wasn’t subtle.

“Take your time. Knight and I can wait.” Lex indicated the living room and nodded to Vince.

Vince glanced at Jade and winked before taking off with her brother. Jade’s frown turned into a smile. Cocky bastard. How nuts she was about him.
  

She didn’t waste time returning the emeralds, and was on her way upstairs when the housekeeper’s rounded figure appeared at the top of the stairs. “Hey, Mrs. B. I was just coming to see you.”

“Not now, child. Come on. Your mama wants to talk to you.”

Jade froze. “She’s home?”

“Only the good Lord knows where she is now. No, she’s on the phone. I always say traveling abroad is unsafe, especially for a single woman.” She stepped back and held the door for Jade. “Slow down now. Don’t want that heart of yours getting too stressed. You mama isn’t going anywhere or….”

Mrs. B.’s diatribe faded in the background as Jade raced to the nearest phone. She grabbed the kitchen phone and flopped on a stool. “Mom?”

“Hello, darling.”

Relief coursed through her. “Oh, Mom. Where have you been? Are you okay?”

There was a brief laugh from Estelle. “Of course I’m okay, sweetie. Didn’t Lex tell you I’m in Saint-Noel? Actually, Liseux. One of its smaller islands.”

“Why? Why couldn’t you answer my messages? I’ve been so worried.”