skirt full disclosure. “I do it because I like it. I don’t have to interact with a lot of people. So long as I have a laptop, I can run the business. Ben takes care of all my legal and money matters.”
“How did you meet Ben?”
“I never have in the normal sense. I’ve never seen him in person.”
“What do you mean? I thought you guys are really good friends.”
“After the divorce, well, there began the first of many incidents. That was the first time I went into hiding. It isn’t an easy thing. You leave a trail of records wherever you go. I needed help, so I went on the Internet and did my research. I found Ben. He had all the qualifications I needed.”
“What qualifications were those? How to hide someone 101?”
“No.” She smiled, but it died when thoughts of her past intruded. “As a lawyer, he had to keep my situation confidential. He runs his own private firm. While he has other lawyers working for him who specialize in a great many things, he also has people who are investment specialists and CPAs. All of which I needed, and Ben oversees everything. The clincher, though, I found a bunch of human-interest stories about, ‘Small town boy makes good and gives back,’ about him. Did you know he provides free legal services to women staying at battered women’s shelters in San Francisco?”
“I didn’t know. But he told me once that his father abused his mother.”
“That’s right, you guys went to college together.”
“Yeah. We were dorm mates freshman year. I dropped out and went into the military. Ben went on to law school and look at him now.”
“You haven’t done so bad for yourself. After all, women are chasing after you and your bank account.”
He couldn’t help laughing. “Now you’re making fun of me.” He shrugged his massive shoulders and added, “Looking back, I guess it is kind of funny. I wasn’t interested in marrying any of them,” he admitted. Their eyes locked, time spun out, stalled in the quiet room. “So, what else?”
“Well, Ben never worked for my ex-husband, nor have they ever met.”
“Tell me who he is?”
“Not tonight,” she said wearily. “I don’t want to speak his name. Once you find out, well, let’s just say you’ll be astounded.”
“Will you tell me soon? I can help you.”
“I’m tired, and it’s too much to get into tonight.”
“For now, I’ll accept that. But we will have this conversation soon. I can’t protect you and my family if I don’t know who I’m up against.”
“I didn’t lie when I said this is one of the longest conversations I’ve had with someone. I haven’t let anyone into my life. I haven’t even spoken to my mother in two years. Not directly, anyway. I need some time.”
“Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not letting you go anywhere either. You know what I need—food. Let’s have dinner.”
Jack glanced at his watch, his fingers brushing against her skin as he turned his hand. “I can’t believe we’ve been talking for so long. It’s almost eight. I’ll go down and get dinner and bring it up. We’ll eat, we’ll talk, and after you can rest.”
“I’m starving,” she admitted.
“Back in a minute.”
Sally and Jack went down to the kitchen. Jenna managed to get herself to the bathroom and freshen up. About to sit in the chair again, Jack carried in a huge tray of food.
“Are you ever going to bring me my clothes from the cabin? I can’t wear a sheet the rest of my life, you know.”
“Now, what would possess me to bring you clothes?” His eyes roamed over her body with lazy satisfaction, and a flush rose from her breasts to her cheeks. “I like you in only a sheet. Besides, honey, I’ve seen you naked. Every beautiful inch of you. Two days of pure torture touching you, but not touching you.” He paused, his blue eyes smoldering, he swept his gaze from her face, down her body to her bare feet. Her breasts tingled, she squeezed her thighs to stop the jolt of heat. It didn’t work, and his eyes moved up her legs, stopped on her squirming hips, slid up to her peaked breasts. His eyes met hers, she felt singed by the heat in his. “I really want to touch you.” He gave her his now-familiar wicked grin, enjoying her discomfort and diffusing the intense moment.
She clamped on to the lightness in his smile, unable to