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Authors: N.J. Walters

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BOOK: TouchofTopaz
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Topaz walked back to her seat with her family near the front
of the room. He watched her carefully, but she didn’t even look at him. It was
frustrating as hell.

She’d kept a polite, respectful distance between them the
past month and he was getting tired of it. It was time for them to talk, even
if that meant he had to take her somewhere so she would listen.

The woman was making him crazy. He would have passed off
what had happened between them last year as simply a crazy one-night stand
except that, on numerous occasions, he’d caught her watching him when she
thought he wasn’t looking. And he recognized the emotion in her eyes. The woman
wanted him even if she wasn’t particularly happy about it.

He could relate.

This was the last day of testimony and her part in the trial
was over. Both sides would make their closing remarks later this afternoon and
then the jury would be sequestered to make their decision. John knew it
wouldn’t take them long to bring down a verdict. The stalker would be going
away for a very long time on multiple charges of attempted murder. The defense
had tried to argue that he wasn’t psychologically fit for trial, but that was a
load of bull. The guy knew what he’d done was wrong. He just didn’t care.

Now that her part in this was over, John could do what he’d
wanted to for the past few weeks. It was time to confront Topaz about their
relationship. John was forty years old and had spent half of that time in
life-and-death situations. He knew there was something special between them.
Now it was only a matter of getting her to admit that and give them a chance.

An hour later, the judge stood and so did everyone else in
the courtroom. John slid his leather jacket on in anticipation of leaving. The
car was in the parking garage next door and they’d leave by a side entrance to
avoid the bulk of the media. They wouldn’t be looking for Topaz anyway. All the
attention would be on her sister. He felt bad for Emerald, but his concern was
for Topaz.

The judge and jury exited and people began to quickly file
out of the courtroom as the defendant was taken away. John waited patiently for
Topaz and her family to make their way down to the entrance of the room. He
stepped in beside her as soon as they reached him.

“Ready to go?”

She shot him an annoyed glare. “I was thinking about having
lunch with my family.”

He shook his head. “Not a good idea until the trial is
finally over. Better to split up and divide the media’s attention.”

Aloysius Jewel heard his comment and nodded his agreement.
“He’s right, baby.” He put his arm around Topaz’s shoulders and dropped a quick
kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll take your mother, Emerald can go with
Jackson, Sapphire will go with Jake, and you can slip out with John.”

Her frustration was palpable. “I’ll be glad when this is
finally over.”

John caught the subtext. She’d be glad when he was finally
out of her life. Not going to happen. Not until they’d talked. If, after that,
she wanted him gone, he’d go, but not until he tried to talk her into giving
their relationship a chance. They had been together under nothing but stressful
situations. John wanted to be a part of her everyday life when it wasn’t quite
so crazy.

“Let’s go.” He took her coat from her and held it until she
reluctantly accepted his help in putting it on. He caught a whiff of her subtle
perfume and his fingers brushed against her neck as he fixed her collar. A
delicate shiver went through her, but she squared her shoulders and turned
toward her family. He patiently waited while she hugged and kissed her sisters
and mother. He’d been around the Jewel family long enough to know they never
went anywhere without saying a prolonged goodbye. They were fascinating to
watch and he found himself drawn to their warmth and the obvious love they
shared for one another. He wanted that for himself.

He glanced toward his brother, but Jake had eyes only for
Sapphire. He stood behind her, his big body blocking her from the view of all
but her family. He understood his brother’s need to protect his woman, and it
went far beyond just doing a job, for both brothers.

As if sensing someone watching him, Jake turned his head and
met John’s gaze. He inclined his head, but the connection between them was
broken seconds later when Sapphire spoke. Jake leaned down to listen to
whatever she was saying to him.

He wished his brother luck with her. He’d need it. They both
would. Although, he thought he had it harder than Jake did. Topaz was the
eldest sister and the most stubborn and bossy of the bunch.

John stood back and kept one eye on Topaz and the other on
the people milling in the hallway. If they stayed here long enough the media
hounds outside might think they’d already sneaked out and disperse. They should
be so lucky. Some of those guys would do just about anything for a story and a
few minutes waiting wouldn’t deter them.

Topaz finally turned to him, her smile slightly strained.
“I’m ready.”

He wasn’t sure either of them was ready for what was coming,
but he knew it was what needed to be done. He glanced at her father. “I’ll take
care of her.”

“I’ll see you this afternoon,” she promised her family.

John put his hand on the small of her back and led her
toward an elevator at the far end of the corridor. It would take them down to
the basement so they could slip into the parking garage where he’d left the
car.

Chapter Two

 

John’s hand burned where it rested against the base of her
spine. Topaz had never been so aware of a man’s touch. It frightened her and
made her angry at the same time. What was it about John Knight that drew her
like the clichéd moth to a flame? He was always ordering her around in his
overbearing, arrogant way.

No, that wasn’t fair and she knew it. He was simply doing
his job, which was to protect her. It wasn’t his fault that she didn’t like
taking orders from anyone, especially not a man who fired up her sex drive in a
way it never had before.

That made him dangerous to her peace of mind and her plans.
She had too much she wanted to accomplish with her life before she was ready to
take on a full-time relationship. She had goals and plans, and John Knight
threatened all of that simply by existing.

She took a deep breath and slowly released it, trying to pull
her tattered composure around her. She’d be glad when this trial was behind
them and their lives could go back to normal. The media that had hounded them
for months would quickly find another story and leave them to pick up the
pieces of their lives.

And John Knight would disappear from her life once again.

She counted off the seconds as the elevator descended to the
garage level, acutely aware that they were alone. She could hear his even
breathing but she couldn’t see his face. The moment the elevator doors slid
shut, he moved in front of her, maneuvering her behind him, his manner
protective. When the bell pinged and the door slid open, she didn’t move. After
all this time, she knew the routine. John stepped out ahead of her and scanned
the area before allowing her to leave the safe confines of the elevator.

His hand on her back once again, he guided her toward the
car. His gaze never rested on one thing but was constantly moving, checking to
make sure no one was lurking, waiting for them to appear. He was always
hyper-alert, hyper-aware of his surroundings.

She’d never met anyone like him. And that was part of the
problem.

Topaz knew how to deal with men who wore three-piece suits,
civilized men who conformed to the standards of society. She knew what to
expect from them and how to act.

John made his own rules and didn’t care what anyone else
thought of them. He dominated a room simply by walking into it. He didn’t need
to flex his muscles or throw his weight around to get people to defer to him.
All he had to do was breathe.

It was annoying as hell. And, if she was being honest,
incredibly hot too.

“Watch your step,” he murmured. She glanced down in time to
keep from stumbling over a slight rise in the concrete floor.

His arm tightened around her waist as they hurried across
the almost deserted lot. There were several other people getting into their
vehicles but, thankfully, they weren’t paying any attention to them. John
unlocked the car and held the door while she slid onto the leather seat. He
shut the door and she locked it immediately. It was second nature to her now
after all these weeks.

She couldn’t help but watch him as he walked around the
front of the black Mercedes, his ever-watchful gaze continuing to study his
surroundings. He was six-foot-three and all of it muscle. The brown leather
jacket he wore clung to his broad shoulders and the black pants clung to his
thick thighs. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him.

She knew that for a fact after getting naked with him last
summer.

He kept his blond hair cropped short, which emphasized his
icy blue eyes and high forehead. The cleft in his chin accentuated his stubborn
jaw. The only softness on his entire face was his lips. They were incredibly
smooth and full for a man, sexy as all get out.

And she had to stop thinking about his lips. Heat climbed up
her face and she feared she was blushing. John slid into the driver’s seat and
locked his door before glancing her way.

“You okay?” His deep voice slid over her skin like an
expensive silk and she barely suppressed a shudder of arousal that snaked down
her spine.

She stared out the front windshield, refusing to look at
him. “I’m fine. The courtroom was a bit warm.” That wasn’t exactly a lie, but
it wasn’t the full truth either. “I’m glad the trial is wrapping up today.”

John started the car and pulled out of the lot, smoothly
maneuvering on to the road. In the distance, Topaz could see the front of the
courthouse and the large group of reporters all clamoring for a quote. She knew
they were just doing their jobs, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

She shivered as a chill went through her. The nightmare was
almost over for her family and her life would soon go back to normal. She
absently toyed with the wide band of silver around her neck. It was set with
chunks of amber and was her favorite necklace, and not only because her sister
Sapphire had made it for her.

She’d be happy to get back to work at Sisters’ Jewels, the
boutique she co-owned with her sisters. They sold accessories, scarves,
journals, stationery, cards and jewelry. Her sisters were more of the creative
force behind their line of products. Emerald used her creativity and artistic
ability to design their accessory line, while Sapphire designed all their
jewelry. But she ran the store itself on a day-to-day basis. It was her baby,
and she loved it. Her sisters might not like the business aspect of owning a
store, but she thrived on the challenge of making everything work.

“You hungry?”

John broke into her musings. “Not really.” She hadn’t been hungry
since the trial started.

He gave her a quick frown before returning his gaze to the
road. “You need to eat. You’re too thin.”

Her spine straightened and she shot him a haughty glare.
“Whether I eat or not is none of your business.”

“Sure it is. It’s my job to keep you safe and healthy.”

Topaz snorted. “I don’t think worrying about what I eat
falls under your job description.” She never missed a chance to remind herself
and him that this was a temporary situation, that she was a job. He’d leave her
soon, probably within a day or two, and she’d probably never see him again.

Which was for the best. They had little in common, other
than explosive sex.

She chewed on her bottom lip and desperately tried to put
that September afternoon out of her mind. One minute they’d been fighting, and
the next they’d been having smoking-hot sex in her foyer. She fought the urge
to fan her face with her hand and managed not to squirm in her seat. With
arousal slowly seeping through her body, it wasn’t so easy.

John stopped the car and Topaz was pulled out of her reverie
and back to the present. They were in the parking lot of a small family-style
restaurant. “Come on. You might not need to eat, but I do.”

John slid out of the car and came around to the passenger
side. Resigned, Topaz unlocked the door and climbed out when he opened the
door. He kept her close to him, blocking the bulk of her body with his own. She
could smell the earthy scent of his soap, mingled with the musky smell of the
man himself.

Her nipples tightened beneath her bra and she was thankful
she was wearing a blouse, suit jacket and coat. He watched her like a hawk and
wouldn’t miss the telltale sign of her arousal.

His left arm was around her waist and she felt the heat of
it through all the layers of her clothing. She concentrated on the restaurant
and not on the man beside her, which was next to impossible. John Knight was
not a man any woman ignored.

He was rough looking and tough as nails, but he exuded an
animal magnetism, a sensuality that drew female attention wherever he went.
There was no denying he was a dominant male and Topaz knew he could easily take
over the life of any woman who was with him, and without even trying or meaning
to.

It was one of the reasons she was determined not to fall
under his sensual spell again. She was afraid that the one time they’d been
together had already spoiled her for other men. After being with John, all the
other men who asked her out seemed less somehow. Which wasn’t fair to them.

John held the door open for her and they walked inside. The
heat and wonderful aroma of food hit her and her stomach growled. When he
grinned at her, she knew he’d heard her stomach complain. Thankfully, he said
nothing about it as he led her to a table in the far corner. If he’d gloated
she didn’t think she’d be able to keep from committing violence against his
person.

She slid off her coat, which he hung over the empty seat
next to her. Then he seated her with her back to the room so people wouldn’t be
able to easily see her face, which was plastered all over the media these days.
He kept his coat on and sat with his back to the wall, where he commanded a
full view of the place.

It was how they always sat when they went out. He was always
security conscious no matter what they were doing.

A young twenty-something waitress, wearing a black skirt and
white blouse, hurried to their table and set menus in front of them.
“Afternoon. Today’s soup is chicken noodle and the special is stuffed chicken
breast with mashed potatoes and peas.” She flashed a bright smile at John. “Can
I get you anything to drink?”

“Coffee for me.” He glanced over at her.

There was no way she wanted coffee. She was jittery enough
as it was. “Just water for me, please.”

John frowned, but the waitress simply nodded and went to get
their drinks. Topaz looked down at the menu. She could feel John’s eyes on her
and barely resisted the urge to squirm. Honestly, the man could make her forget
she was a successful, polished businesswoman with no more than a look. Another
strike against him.

“Do you know what you want?” His voice was low and intimate
even though they were in a crowded restaurant.

Now that was a loaded question if she’d ever heard one. What
would he do if she said she wanted him in her bed once again? That she wanted
another afternoon of unforgettable, hot sex.

Not that she would. She wasn’t the kind of woman who
indulged in one-night stands. John was the only exception she’d ever made to
that rule. She had to date a man for quite some time before they went to bed together.
And then both parties knew it wasn’t going to lead to anything more serious. It
sounded colder and more calculated than it was in reality. She had a genuine
affection for the men she’d had in her life. She just hadn’t wanted any of them
there on a permanent basis.

Their waitress came back and plunked a glass of water in
front of Topaz and set a mug of coffee in front of John. She gave him another
dazzling smile. Topaz noticed that she’d freshened her lipstick since she was
here last. Unaccountably, jealousy began to creep into her brain and she was
filled with the urge to tell her to stop looking at John, that he belonged to
her.

Which couldn’t be farther from the truth.

They’d spent a steamy afternoon together. Nothing wrong with
sex between two healthy, consenting adults, but they didn’t have a relationship
beyond that. He’d walked away when his job was over last summer and would again
this time. Yes, he’d called her once or twice, but she hadn’t returned his
calls. There was no point. They both had their own lives. She had to remember
that.

Topaz glanced at the menu. “I’ll have the chicken noodle
soup and the chicken sandwich on multigrain bread with mustard, not mayo.”

The waitress, whose nametag read Maria, dutifully wrote down
her order before turning to John. “And what will you have, sir?”

Topaz wasn’t imagining the flirty tone in the waitress’s
voice, nor the way she shifted closer to John. To give the man credit, he
didn’t acknowledge the flirtation in any way.

“I’ll have the same.” He handed his menu back to the
waitress. “Thanks.”

Topaz could clearly read the other woman’s disappointment,
but she smiled, took the menus and left them. “Should be about ten or fifteen
minutes.”

John sat back in his chair and his jacket fell open to
reveal a tight, black button-down shirt. The material clung to his broad chest
and Topaz’s fingers itched to slide her fingers under it and touch his bare
skin.

“Everything will be okay. This entire ordeal will be over
soon.” His sincerity struck her hard and she blinked back tears. This past year
had been hell for her family, and it was hard to believe it was almost coming
to an end.

“I know. Emerald’s been so amazing through it all.” She was
so proud of her sister and the strength she’d shown. Topaz wasn’t certain she
would have fared half as well.

“You did great today in court.” He picked up his coffee and
brought it to his lips. Topaz watched as he parted them and sipped the hot
liquid. Her panties grew damp, and she grabbed her glass and guzzled half of
the tepid water to keep from saying something stupid.

“I’m going to the ladies’ room.” She hated having to
announce such things, but John had to know where she was at all times. “Please
don’t follow me. It’s only right there.” She pointed to a sign just off to her
right.

John rose when she did and walked her to the corridor. She
knew he was checking for other possible entrances to the building, but he
relaxed when he saw the small corridor was a dead end and the only doors were
those to the restrooms.

“Don’t be long,” he ordered.

She felt like sticking her tongue out at him, but managed to
refrain from such a childish gesture. Honestly, the man constantly rubbed her
the wrong way, except for that one afternoon when he’d rubbed her the right
way. Her pussy clenched hard at the memory and she stumbled through the
bathroom door. Thankfully, it was empty.

She shut the door, locked it and used the facilities. When
she was done, she washed her hands and splashed water on her face.

This wouldn’t do. She wasn’t some young impressionable
woman. She was thirty-two, owned her own business and had dated her fair share
of successful men. Why then did John affect her so greatly? She wasn’t sure she
was ready to delve into the answer.

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