Surrender Your Love (18 page)

Jett smirked.
“How could you tell?”

“
By the way you slammed the door.”

“
Sorry about that.”

“
No worries.”

I watched him as he piled up two plates in silence and headed out the balcony door into the backyard. I took the red wine bottle and two empty wine glasses, then followed him out.

The air was warm and thick with the aroma of wood and flowers in bloom. The garden table and chairs were situated just around the corner where the light from the kitchen barely penetrated the darkness. Jett had already lit up what looked like a huge golden lantern that shed a soft glow on the white porcelain and tablecloth. The lit tea candles arranged in a zigzag pattern flickered in the soft breeze and cast moving shadows across the whitewashed wall.

The whole atmosphere was chic yet relaxed, not too romantic but not casual either. Where I came from, we never lit candles unless we celebrated a birthday, or someone had died.

Placing the wine bottle and glasses on the table next to a set of cutlery and the two plates, I sat down on the chair opposite from Jett. My gaze shifted around, looking at anything but him.

“
Are you cold? If you are, I can bring you a sweater or we can eat inside.” The concern in his voice made me peer up in surprise.

“
I’m fine.”

He regarded me for a
moment, as though not quite believing me. The candlelight reflected in his eyes and made them shimmer like gemstones. In the soft light, his skin had a golden glow to it and his stubble was more pronounced, giving him a dark and menacing flair. I had never liked stubble on a man, but I found it sexy on him. It suited his character—rough but at the same time soft, strange but also familiar. He looks so yummy, I wanted to bury myself in his strong arms. I ignored the urge to lean over the table and draw his face to mine to feel the scratchy sensation on my skin.

“
Wine?” His voice broke the silence, jerking me out of my thoughts.

I smiled hesitantly and reached for the half-full glass.

“To us,” Jett said, chinking our glasses, his gaze never leaving mine.

Swallowing hard, I nodded because something in his tone—maybe the slightest hint of a promise—ignited a raging fire in me.

I took a sip of the delicious wine, then another, to calm my suddenly racing heart. It didn’t really help, so I focused on the contents of my plate, all the while keeping the conversation light and casual.

“
Did you find anything in the Lucazzone file?” he asked me, handing me a basket of bread as I tucked into my spare ribs.

I shook my head and finished chewing before answering.
“No, but there’s something I meant to ask you. How many times have you and your lawyers looked through it?”

He shrugged, signaling that either he didn
’t care or he couldn’t be bothered counting.

“
Exactly,” I mumbled under my breath.

He
gave me a strange look. “I brought it so
you
could take a look at it. I thought getting a fresh opinion wouldn’t hurt.”

“
Look, I—” I put my cutlery down and hesitated as I prepared my words carefully so he wouldn’t think I was lecturing him. We might share sizzling sexual chemistry, but Jett was still my boss. As most of them come, they tend to have an oversized ego and an unwillingness to take ‘no’ or ‘not possible’ for an answer. “I can see the potential of this estate, but with the taxes and everything else in order, there’s no way you’ll get it unless the old man sells or you turn him in.”

Jett
’s gaze darkened and his jaw set. “Your second option is a no go.”

“
Why?”

“
Because.” He drew a sharp breath and averted his gaze.

“
Why?” I prompted, leaning forward.

“
Who would want to buy a holiday home built on a murderer’s estate?” His words made sense and yet…

“
See, that’s another point that’s been bugging me. The offer price is way too high. Add it to the costs of lawyers, taxes, building, and decorating, and you’ll end up with a ginormous asking price no buyer will want to pay.”

“
You’d be surprised to find out what rich people are willing to pay for a bit of privacy.” He leaned back and smiled cockily. I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t reply because he was the rich guy and probably knew better than I did. Still, his words didn’t manage to convince me.

I raised my hands in mock surrender.
“Fair enough. All I’m saying is that if you want that estate, you’ve got to go to the police.”

He shook his head vehemently.
“Not going to happen, Brooke. So find something else.”

“
You’re killing me.” I let out an exasperated sigh and leaned against the back of my chair, my fingers tapping lightly against my almost-empty wine glass. The guy was as stubborn as a mule. Working for someone as determined as Jett wasn’t going to be easy, but I had never backed down from a challenge. Even if it meant working my ass off knowing it was a dead end. “Right now I’ve no idea where else to look. Alessandro’s on his deathbed. Why don’t you just wait until he—” I had asked that same question only a day ago. However, I figured I had nothing to lose by starting one last persuasion attempt. “Once the estate is in the hands of charities, you’ll be able to entice them with a much lower offer. You could save money, which would result in a higher profit for your company.”

“
It could take years. Besides, they might decide to sell to someone else.”

“
There is no one else,” I said. Jett’s silence made me look up in doubt. “Is there?” He remained tight-lipped, but the dark shadow clouding his features said more than a thousand words.

There was.

“I didn’t want to tell you.” His tone softened.

“
Why not?”

“
Because I didn’t want to get you involved.” He shrugged, as though it didn’t matter, but I could tell from his dark expression whatever he wasn’t telling me bothered him a great deal.

“
You didn’t want me to get involved in what? In my job?” I laughed, even though I felt like strangling him. “How am I supposed to do my job when you’re detaining vital information from me?”

“
You don’t understand, Brooke. They’re dangerous.” His voice came so low for a moment I wasn’t sure I heard him right. The meaning of his words slowly sank in, causing an involuntary shudder to run down my spine. I thought I had landed a relatively safe job: meet up with prospective clients, rent or sell their properties, cash the check, done. Okay, Mayfield Properties wasplaying on a higher scale, meaning they did a bit more than that, but still. I had no idea how or why the people I might meet could constitute any danger to me
.
It surely didn’t say in my work contract.

“
What kind of people are we talking about?” I asked carefully.

He winced.
“Let’s just say—not the kind you want to meet.”

And then
it dawned on me. In a twisted way he was trying to protect me, while letting me do my job. “Is that why you went to today’s meeting alone?” His expression remained dark and impenetrable. Blank. But I didn’t need his confirmation to
know.
“Oh.”

Holy cow, no wonder they paid me so much. I was basically rubbing shoulders with the local thug, or worse.

Well, sort of.

Jett brushed his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes for a few seconds during which we remained sil
ent. A strong tension hung in the air and mirrored in his face. He seemed torn, though I had no idea about what.

“
You should tell me everything. As your employee, I have a right to know,” I said eventually.

“
No, Brooke.” Short and to the point. Adamant. This was the Jett I had glimpsed through his business correspondence. This was the Jett I had feared I’d meet one day. The hard lines around his mouth deepened, just like the determination in his eyes. I was seeing a new side of him but, unfortunately, it didn’t lessen my attraction to him. In fact, I found myself wanting to throw myself into his arms and let him take me places I had never frequented. Instead, I groaned and shot him the dirtiest look I could muster.

The corners of his lips jerked and his frown smoothed
, but his tone remained hard as steel. “You’re safe with me and I’ll keep you that way. I won’t get you involved in this crap, no matter how hard you push, beg, glare, or otherwise.”

Whatever.

He had obviously never seen me in investigative mode.

My intuition told me there was more to this estate than Jett let on. How was I supposed to find a loophole with more mystery than an Agatha Christie
murder mystery, particularly when the information he gave me barely scratched the surface?

I crossed my arms over my chest and regarded his beautiful face.
“Is that why you tore out the last page? Because you didn’t want me to see what’s on it?”

For a second I thought I saw a spark of fear in his eyes
, and then it disappeared just as quickly, leaving nothing but a blank expression behind. Damn him and his ability to bluff. I wished I could control my face like that. All other human beings would negate the claim vehemently, which in itself would be proof they were lying. Just not Jett. He simply remained silent while staring me down, unblinking, unmoving, unwavering, unwilling to put himself into any position, be it to his or my advantage.

I could definitely learn a thing or two from this guy.

“Fine. Don’t answer.” I grabbed my fork and began shifting my food around my plate.

“
Let’s finish up, baby,” Jett said, his tone changing from cold marble to smooth velvet and sweet honey. “I think you’re ready for your surprise.”

What surprise could Jett possibly have in store for me? I mused over the question as I forced myself to finish my dinner, even though a hundred fluttering butterflies seemed to have taken shelter inside my stomach. He steered our conversation back to the house, local history and what not, but I couldn’t force myself to pay attention to his effortless chatter. My sudden nervousness kept pushing my thoughts in one direction only. I didn’t know what to expect and, being a planner all the way, I didn’t like the feeling one bit
.
Surprises for me were like…opening Pandora’s box. You never know what’s inside until it hits you.

“
Finished?” Jett stood and began to clear the plates, not waiting for my answer.

“
Yeah, let me help you.” I jumped to my feet and reached out for the empty wine glasses. He placed a warm hand on my arm, stopping me.

“
Wait for me in the living room.” His tone left no room for discussion. I didn’t want to be one of those women who follow a man’s every command, and yet I found myself doing as he bid. Yet again. The thought that he was my boss consoled me for all of five seconds, and then doubts began to crawl back into my head.

Jett had entered my life a few days ago
, and already I barely recognized myself. This wasn’t the responsible woman who once swore she’d never again let a guy gain the upper hand over her—in body, mind, or otherwise. And yet here I was, wanting Jett to take control, waiting for him to decide which way to go. I scolded myself for being so weak, but I couldn’t help it. Something had changed inside me, maybe because deep down I knew Jett was different and he wouldn’t hurt me the way others had.

His footsteps thudded on t
he marble floor. A moment later he appeared in the doorway holding a huge crystal bowl with what looked like a strawberry sundae topped with chocolate sauce in one hand, and two dessert spoons in the other.

“
Strawberry cake’s my favorite. How did you know?” My dark thoughts instantly forgotten, I made room on the couch and watched him slump down next to me, the chocolate sauce missing the white leather by half an inch.

“
Whoa, careful. The chocolate’s running.” I pointed at the thin rivulet of brown, sweet stuff trickling down the side of the bowl. Jett held the crystal up.

“
Lick it.”

Seriously?

I almost choked on my breath. “What?”

“
I said, lick it.”

Jett
’s eyes bore into mine with such intensity it made my insides quiver. I leaned forward and, dipping my head to the side, I touched my mouth against the cold glass, tasting the drop of sweet chocolate that slipped into my mouth. His gaze remained glued on me, his green eyes clouded by desire. I came up again and bit my lip hard, anticipating his reaction.

He dipped a dessert
spoon into the chocolate-covered whipped cream and held it up to me. This time I didn’t need his command to tell me what to do. I sucked it into my mouth and let out a soft moan. Partly because it really was the best sundae I ever had. And partly because I instinctively knew Jett would like it. He put the dessert bowl down and reached over to brush his thumb over my lips, scorching them with his touch.