and he might be domineering but—even though she’d accused him of it—he was not cruel. He wouldn’t force her to do something she didn’t want to do. He’d proved that the night of the party. He hadn’t done anything to her without her express permission first even though they’d both been drinking. No, if she slept with Lincoln Donovan again, business or not, it would be because she wanted to. And because her heart still hammered in her chest, her lips still tingled from his kiss, her center still pulsed from his touch, that thought alone frightened her.
Linc awoke the next morning in the master suite. Alone. He hadn’t taken a cold shower in years, but last night after she’d almost kissed the wits out of him then left him standing there panting like a dog in heat he’d had no other choice.
He’d lain awake for hours trying to get her out of his mind, trying to erase the feel of her body against his, the scent of her desire out of his head, that look of fear he’d glimpsed seconds after she’d pulled away. Another hour was spent kicking himself for moving so fast. They hadn’t been together in eight years. It was foolish of him to instantly try and pick up where they’d left off. Because he hadn’t stuck around he’d never known how she’d felt about that night they’d spent together. He’d immediately moved out of the dorm, returning to campus only to take his remaining classes. He hadn’t wanted to bump into her again.
Had she been hurt by his leaving?
He doubted that. A week later he’d had a close call when leaving the campus library later than usual one night. He’d seen her in the arms of another man smiling happily up at him as they walked. No, Jade Vincent was not pining over him at all. He silently thanked his instincts and made an even more concerted effort to never see her again.
In the morning he faced the fact that she’d probably been right to stop them. This was about money for her. Every woman’s bottom line was money where he was concerned. She’d agreed to be his date, not to sleep with him. As she’d made perfectly clear last night, if she slept with him it would be because she wanted to.
He amended that statement. When she slept with him, it would definitely be because she wanted to. He wouldn’t have it any other way. As far as her terms, well, he wasn’t willing to think about them right now.
In an hour they would leave for his parents’ house. That thought soothed him a bit. Fifteen years ago Henry Donovan had acquired a stretch of land in the Pahranagat Valley, just ninety miles northeast of Las Vegas. Initially he was going to sell it until his wife had seen it and fallen in love with the rich scenery. Henry had had a mansion built there instead and about five years ago added horse breeding to his repertoire.
Linc continued to think of his parents and of the forty years they’d been together. Henry and Beverly were the epitome of love and happiness. Funny how their sons avoided the same things like the plague. But lately Beverly had begun hinting at the fact that she had no grandchildren and that her sons were sorely disappointing her. Sure, she loved them, would do anything for them, but she wanted them married and settled. It was that simple. At least in her mind it was. Linc knew differently.
In the past months he’d grown tired of the women his mother not so discreetly sent his way. They simply didn’t appeal to him on a long-term level. Up until a week or so ago he hadn’t even thought he wanted someone on a long-term level. While he still wasn’t entertaining thoughts of marriage, he had begun to think that his discontent centered around his lackluster personal life.
His mother would love to hear that and Linc had no doubt she would have more than enough women at the house this week to perk up that personal life of his. She had a surprise coming.
The first half hour of their ride passed in virtual silence after a brief breakfast of fruit and coffee. Jade’s stomach growled and she coughed to muffle the sound. Linc had offered to order a full meal but she’d been stubborn, and anxious to get this show on the road. She’d barely slept last night and was having second thoughts about this deal with him. Maybe she would have been better off applying for a personal loan herself to pay Noelle’s debt. But she had enough overhead right now. Another bill wasn’t the answer.
With a sigh she decided she’d have to find some way to deal with this attraction to Linc and the business deal they’d struck. He fully expected her to sleep with him. She had no intention of getting her feelings tangled up in him again. Linc had broken her heart once and she wasn’t about to give him the opportunity to do it again.
Last night she’d wondered how she considered the one-night stand with Linc a lost relationship while her six-month engagement to Charles was written off as a fatal mistake. She’d liked Charles well enough—Grammy had liked him more—but she had to admit to feeling a small sense of relief when she opened his e-mail that fateful morning. There was no love lost where Charles was concerned. Anger was more likely the emotion of choice when she thought of him. Her fists clenched at the memory. If she ever saw Charles again she’d…
Linc reached over, touched her hands, slowly pulling her fingers out as he stared at her. “What are you thinking about over there?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing. I wasn’t thinking about anything,” she said, embarrassed that he’d obviously been watching her.
“It must have been something. You were about to draw your own blood.”
She shrugged. “Just something that’s better left in the past.”
“Did somebody hurt you?”
Jade stared at him blankly then quickly turned away. “No. Nobody hurt me.”
“They made you angry?”
She opened her mouth to speak then clamped it shut again. Why did he care either way? “Let’s just say my life’s been full of lessons learned.”
He folded her hand in his and Jade felt the familiar heat stirring inside.
“I’d be interested in hearing about those lessons.” He smiled and then held up a hand to stop her when she would have spoken. “But for now I’ll settle for hearing about what you’ve been doing for the past eight years.”
Making one mistake after another, pining for you, losing a fortune… Where should she start? Jade shifted in the seat. What was it about him that made her want to scream one minute and melt into his arms the next? At any rate, telling him about her past mistakes was definitely out of the question. Switching the subject would be better. “I have a better idea. Why don’t you give me the rundown on your family? Since I’ll be spending a week with them I should probably know some basics.”
Linc gave her a half smile. She hadn’t admitted it but he was sure there was someone in her past who she was still pretty angry with and he was willing to bet the person was a man. He looked into warm hazel eyes and wanted instinctively to protect her from all hurt and harm. She had secrets, ones that caused her great pain. He wondered how long it would take her to tell him, then decided it didn’t really matter. At least he didn’t want it to.
“I am the oldest of three boys. I have two brothers—Trent and Adam. Trent’s an ex-Navy Seal and Adam’s into real estate. My parents, Henry and Beverly, have been married for forty years and will invite every living member of the Donovan family to the house this week to help them celebrate.”
“Hmm,” she sighed. When her mother had died it had been just her, Noelle and Grammy. She’d always longed for a big family. “What do your parents do?”
Linc chuckled. “Not much of anything anymore. My father was a third generation rich kid, following in his father’s footsteps. He ran the family oil company for about twenty years before deciding to retire. Now he finds hobbies. For a few years he was a racing sponsor, then he dabbled in marine biology and right now he’s into horse breeding.”
“He sounds like an interesting man,” Jade said wistfully.
“He is. Mom comes from money. Her father was an oil tycoon. Now she has her charities and her clubs. But her main job as of late seems to be finding a wife for me.”
Jade’s heart