Page 36 of Desperate Temptations

“Call my cell phone. I have that with me at all times.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

At five-thirty, Cain was headed out of his office when his phone rang. He cursed, all he wanted was to be with Jessa. But he knew he couldn’t ignore the call. It might be relevant to the case he was working on. He sat down and snatched up his office phone.

Cain listened to Quinton, a cold shiver ran through his body, his mind dashing at warp speed. After he hung up, he sat back, contemplating everything he’d just been told. As he took it all in, he was making plans on how best to protect Jessa without telling her anything. He didn’t think it was possible, but he was going to try. He hated the thought of her being afraid.

He glanced at the time and cursed. He’d order the pizza on the way out, that way, it would be ready when he picked it up. He wouldn’t relax until he was with Jessa and knew for sure she was safe.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Jessa glanced up at Cain and then away. Something was going on with Cain. Since he’d been home, he’d seemed distracted, withdrawn. He was still affectionate with her, but it just seemed forced. A quick and disturbing feeling stole into her stomach, tightening it with dread. This afternoon, he’d seemed impatient to be with her, but then it appeared he didn’t want to be here at all. A sensation of intense desolation swept over her. She was shocked at the feeling of insecurity. It was an emotion she was unfamiliar with and didn’t like at all.

They cleaned up the meal together, neither saying a word. The air in the room became more stifling as the minutes passed. Jessa put the remaining pizza in the refrigerator and turned to see him standing and looking out the window at the darkness that lay beyond, his hands on his hips, his back rigid.

Jessa took a deep breath and rubbed her stomach where a dull ache had set in. She needed to make this sound good, to sound nonchalant.

“Hey, Cain, I think you should head home to your place.” Jessa looked at the floor, afraid she would show too much if he got a look at her expression. “I’ve got paperwork to do tonight, and you would just be bor—”

Jessa’s head jerked up, her heart nearly stopped when he turned abruptly, something cold and glittering crossed his face. She took a step back when he advanced on her. Oh, God, he looked pissed. She turned to escape, not in fear, but in alarm that she had made a mistake that upset him to this extent. A hard arm stole around her waist and lifted her off her feet and against a hot, muscular male chest.

She struggled, both hands on his bare forearms. She stammered and tried to placate the man.

“Look, I’m sorry. I just thought you wanted to leave, and I was trying to make it easier on you.”

A rough voice breathed next to her ear. “Why would you think that, Sweetheart?” The words would have sounded reassuring to her if not for the slow, deep, guttural tone of his voice.

Jessa calmed and let her body relax. She leaned back against him, tilted her head to fit the contours of his chest, and closed her eyes.

“You acted like you didn’t want to be here, so I was giving you an excuse to leave.” She flinched at the curse that came from him.

He paused.

“Do you have any work?” he asked, while he rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. Cain continued when she shook her head slowly. “Good, I want you to go get ready for bed. I know it’s early, but you still need to catch up on your sleep. Leave off the nightgown, you won’t need it. I’ll be in as soon as I make sure the house is locked up.” He placed her on her feet, giving her a gentle nudge toward the bedroom. “Go on, I’ll be right there.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, looking unsteady and uncertain. Dammit, he never intended to upset her or make her feel like he didn’t want to be here. He was trying to think of ways to convince her to move in with him without revealing his reasons. He shook his head. Yeah, that was not going to happen. His woman was too damn smart. He decided he’d have to tell her the truth, or at least part of it, and he didn’t want to. He knew it would frighten her and that pissed him off. He concluded that he’d rather have her scared than hurt.

Cain wished they’d been together longer. He needed her to trust unequivocally, and he knew that would take time—time he didn’t think they had before something happened that had the potential to change their lives.

He also hated that he had to wait for anything from her. He wanted all of her, everything she had to give, and he wanted it at that very second.

He walked around the house, locking up all the windows and doors, noticing once again that the locks were shit. They wouldn’t keep a toddler out. One more reason he needed to get her out of here. The tension inside him increased.

He stalked into the bedroom, and he stopped abruptly. Jessa was sitting on the side of her bed in a long, white, and pink nightgown, her chin lifted, stubborn determination on her face, when she saw him standing there. His lips quirked. She looked so damn cute sitting there trying to look tough. He expected he might come to really enjoy making her mad. It would be so much fun loving her out of her mood.

Not commenting on the nightgown, he continued to the bathroom.

“I’m going to shower. We’ll talk when we’re in bed.” He didn’t see the childish tongue she stuck out at his back, but if he had, he would have laughed.

Chapter Thirty-Four

God, that man was so damn arrogant. She didn’t know if she’d be able to live with a man like him without eventually killing him. Drew had been so easygoing, so easy to live with. This man didn’t know what laid-back meant. Everything with him was going to be a little difficult and take an abundance of patience in dealing with his arrogance that she didn’t think she had.

Jessa watched him walk away, then looked down at her lap thoughtfully. Even as difficult as he was, she couldn’t get over the overwhelming need to be close to him, to touch him, or have his hands on her. The way her body always ached for his touch, even when she wasn’t near him. He was bringing back her spirit. A spirit she’d thought had died with Drew.

Her feelings for Cain intensified and grew every time they were together. As much as those feelings frightened her and sometimes made her feel vulnerable, she still needed to see where this relationship would take them. She had to try because she felt somewhere deep inside that he was her future. If she didn’t find the strength to give herself entirely to him, she knew she would never find a man who measured up to him and regret it for the rest of her life.

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