“Right after you left on this last trip, Jerico was on duty at the gate and he called the house and told me your girlfriend was here.”
His eyebrow shot up. “My girlfriend? I don’t have girl-friends and you know it.”
Impatience crossed her expressive face. “Fine, then—the woman you sleep with.”
“I don’t sleep with women either—unless it’s you. Who is this woman who claimed to be my girlfriend? Did she actually use that silly phrase?”
Impatience went to pure exasperation. “Jerico used that phrase. He said your girlfriend, Linda Rawlins, was at the gate and needed to come up to the house.”
“And you fell for that?”
“I thought you were dating her. And sleeping with her.” He allowed utter derision mixed with contempt to show in his eyes. “I don’t date and I don’t sleep. She came to my office in town and blew me a couple of times. I fucked her, pure and simple, because I hurt like hell and wanted it to stop. She knew there were no strings and never would be. My girlfriend.” He shook his head. “I thought you knew better than that. What the hell did she want?”
He pulled out his radio and spoke into it. “Drake, I want Jerico waiting in my office immediately.” He glanced down at Emma. “I know you instructed a bodyguard to come into the house with her. Give me a name.”
“Jake.” She tilted her chin at him.
“Don’t make me any angrier than I already am.”
Emma blew out her breath, dropped her eyes and shrugged. “Joshua.” Emma curled her fingers curled into two tight fists.
Jake stared down at her, deliberately goading her, angry that she’d put herself in the line of fire when he’d gone to so much trouble to protect her. In another minute, if she didn’t get her temper under control, she was going to take a swing at him. He spoke into the radio a second time. “Have Joshua join me there as well.” He caught Emma’s chin and forced her to look at him. “A slut is a slut no matter where she comes from, Emma, and you should know that. How could you let her trick you and invade my home?”
“If she’s a slut, what does that make you?” Emma demanded, almost spitting mad. “She isn’t the only woman you have falling all over herself to have sex with you.”
Her eyes were beautiful, almost glowing, like two dazzling emerald jewels. He wouldn’t have been surprised if sparks flew at him at any moment. “The difference is, Linda would sell her soul to the highest bidder and she uses sex to try to get what she wants.”
“And you don’t?”
“Not yet. But believe me, honey, that’s going to happen soon. Now tell me what the hell went on and how the children got involved.”
“Go to hell.” Her temper rose to meet his.
His gaze narrowed, focused, burned into hers. His body went still, aggressive, dominating, as he surrounded her with power and heat.
She took a breath. He had moved closer, and that single inhalation pushed her breasts against his chest so that he felt the rise and fall, felt the slide of her hard nipples against him. Lightning streaked from chest to groin. He wanted to press against her body and rub himself on her like a cat. He was instantly, fiercely aroused, and got the image of her dropping to her knees and sliding her perfect fantasy mouth tightly around his thick, pulsing cock.
Anger arced between them, right along with heightened sexual awareness. He could smell their combined scents, a heady, potent mixture of sexual scents that acted like an aphrodisiac on him. He bent his head lower until his mouth was against her ear. “Watch what you say to me or you’re going to find out just what happens when you push me too far.”
“I don’t intimidate so easily, Jake. And I refuse to jump through hoops like everyone else around you does.”
His hand slid around her throat, tipping her head back, forcing her face up to his. “You really want to play power games with me, Emma? Because I can feel your body responding to mine. Do you think I can’t tell when a woman wants me?” He pushed into her, nearly lifting her body onto his so that his heavy erection was snuggled into her hot mound.
“So I can be another one of your many cast-off sluts you can feel superior to? So you can get that look of contempt on your face every time you mention my name? Nice invitation, but really, no thanks.” She didn’t move away from him, or look away, matching him temper for temper. “My body may respond to yours—I’m not dead; and you’re very sexy, which you well know—but believe me when I tell you, my head is absolutely screaming ‘no way in hell.’ ”
All he heard were the words “no way in hell.” Fury burned in his eyes and he caught her by her upper arms, yanking her onto her toes, dropping his head to hers, his lips crushing hers, grinding them into her teeth. There was nothing sweet about Jake in that moment. He took what he wanted, making a statement, demanding her response, conquering her, branding her, the hot pressure forcing her mouth open so he could own her.
Heat and flames streaked through his bloodstream and what was meant as a punishment became something else altogether. Her body fought him, but her mouth didn’t, instead fusing with his, devouring hungrily, their tongues dueling wildly while her body struggled against his sudden weight. He pinned her against the wall, sliding one hand to her breast, finding her tight nipple and stroking and tugging as he’d wanted to do for the past two long years.
Emotion poured into him as if a dam had broken, shaking him, flooding his system with unexpected and unwanted . . . what? Not love. It couldn’t be love. The thought, the feeling, terrified him, but he couldn’t deny touching her, kissing her, feeling her body melting into his was unlike anything he’d ever come close to experiencing when he’d thought he’d known passion and great sex. Something about Emma brought out every male instinct he had—even tenderness—when he’d never known it for himself. He hadn’t expected the waves of feeling that came rushing over him, the joy bursting through him, sweeping him up with every bit of the intensity and adding to the strength of his physical need of her.
The jackhammers drilling into his head increased their tempo while his leopard leapt and roared for supremacy. She gasped for breath, going boneless under the onslaught of his hands and mouth. His knee slid between her legs, grinding into her, the junction like a furnace, inciting him all the more. He dragged her thin top down, exposing her breasts, his mouth never leaving hers, still feeding ferociously while his hands found bare flesh.
He jerked at her bra, desperate to feel the soft, creamy mounds spilling into his palms. The feel of the soft weight in his bare hands nearly made him weep. He wanted to know every single inch of her, needed to find a way to slow down to savor the taste of her. His mouth left hers and he blazed a trail of fire down her throat to her breast.
Emma gasped and arched to him as he took her in his mouth, suckling strongly, his tongue flicking the hard peak, his teeth biting down, sending shock waves through her body.
Emma heard her own keening wail and knew she was in terrible trouble. The chemistry between them was explosive, her skin so sensitive she could barely stand the touch of her clothing. She couldn’t stop herself from rubbing back and forth against his knee. Her mouth felt empty, just as her body did. She wanted him to fill her up, to relieve the terrible ache that was building and building until she needed to scream and plead for him to be inside her. This was Jake, the man she loved desperately, and she wanted him with every cell in her body.