Dare to Believe (6 page)

Her breath caught in her throat at his expression. “Don’t leave me before morning.” Before she could reply, he leaned down and kissed her with a tenderness that left her breathless. “Please.”

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29

Dana Marie Bell

She only hesitated a moment. With a soft sigh she cuddled up against him, burying her face in his chest. Closing her eyes she willed her body to sleep. It didn’t take long for the combination of wine, warmth and incredible sex to gently lull her to sleep.

She didn’t see the relief that crossed his face or the tenderness as he watched her sleeping in his arms.

“Mine.”

Jaden Blackthorn strolled down the hallway, looking neither left nor right. He’d been summoned here before, and he didn’t like it one little bit.

Snagging the hybrid hadn’t been easy, but he’d known it wouldn’t be. He’d been strong, absurdly so, and that unique power of his had made things a little…touchy…at one point, but he’d pulled off the job.

Now the Deranged Darling wanted something more from him. Hell, at this point he was considering paying her room and board since she had him practically living in the mansion. The only thing that made it bearable was her fashionable Rodeo Drive ass was stuck in East Bumblefuck, Nebraska.

He desperately wished the Malmayne house was a ranch. He’d love to see her get cow shit all over her Pradas.

He reached the doorway at the end of the hall and pushed it open. He was singularly unimpressed by the rich surroundings of cherry wood, velvets and silks. Nothing here meant a damn to him other than it proved they could afford to pay him. This house belonged to Lord Cullen Malmayne and was as cold as the man himself. The home Jaden shared with Duncan was a great deal warmer.

Then again, an iceberg was warmer than this place. He couldn’t wait to get out of here and go home.

Malmayne the elder was speaking to his daughter, trying once again to get her crazy ass to see reason.

Jaden held back his sigh and waited.

“Shane is here and could easily fulfill the contract, Kaitlynn.”

“I don’t want Shane. I want Leo,” a husky, feminine voice pouted.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the voice belonged to one of the most spoiled women Jaden had ever met it would have sent shivers of lust down his spine. Instead he shuddered and turned to look at the tall, elegant blonde. Her white gold hair was done up in a simple French twist a la Grace Kelly. She’d worn a pale shade of pink today, complementing her fair skin, the silky material clinging to her understated curves.

High heels in a matching shade were strapped on her dainty feet, emphasizing the long length of her legs.

Gray eyes stared at her father with a forlorn expression, her luscious mouth tilted down at the edges.

Jaden hid another shudder. That mouth held teeth sharper than his, and that was saying something.

Malmayne the elder sighed. “I will see if we can negotiate with Leo, my dear, but he’s turned down all other overtures. Perhaps, if Leo refuses, we should reconsider Shane?”

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Dare to Believe

Jaden tuned them out, waiting silently and with the stillness only those of his kind could accomplish.

He’d heard this argument before, and knew Cullen Malmayne would once again lose. He opened his senses to the surrounding area, listening to the heartbeats of all those around him, counting them out until he’d found even the two “hidden” guards Malmayne the elder thought protected him. Jaden hid his knowledge of the watchers, keeping his face bored.

“Mr. Blackthorn. Thank you for coming.”

Jaden blinked and turned his darkest, most penetrating stare towards the blonde. “Ms. Malmayne.”

He nearly allowed his grin to escape at her moue of distaste. “Would you like to have a seat, Mr.

Blackthorn?”

“No, thank you, Ms. Malmayne. I prefer to stand.”

There was a moment of confusion on her face before she blinked and gave him her false, sweet smile.

“Mr. Blackthorn, I have another job for you.”

Jaden nodded. “I kind of figured, hon, otherwise you wouldn’t have called.” He smirked, allowing his teeth to flash at her.

He watched her back straighten with outrage before she shook it off. Her expression was saccharine sweet.
Crap. Now what? Last time she looked like that she had me kidnap someone.
She handed him a piece of paper. “I want you to make the ransom demand on the Dunne family.”

Jaden’s smirk faded into a snarl he quickly wiped off his face. He took the piece of paper reluctantly.

The whole set-up stunk to high heaven and he was already beginning to regret taking orders from the high-brow bitch. Hell, if Duncan had been home…

But Duncan
wasn’t
home, and Cullen, the old sap, couldn’t deny his daughter anything she wanted.

Clothes, cars, jewelry. People.

And they had the balls to call
him
a vampire. It made an honest-to-god bloodsucker cringe.

With a sigh Jaden turned to find a phone.

“Don’t call from here, you idiot! Find some anonymous phone.”

Jaden turned back, his eyes flashing red with his irritation. “How about I go down to the local Wal-Mart and use the payphone there, sweet cheeks? Got a calling card I could use?”

“Don’t call me that!” Jaden
loved
that rasping note of irritation in her voice. It took that smooth, sweet voice of hers and turned it into a verbal Brillo pad. “Do as I tell you or I’ll let Jeremy West know what your weakness is. Doesn’t he have a rowan tree on his property?”

Jaden paled. “You
bitch
.” If Jeremy found his weakness, Jaden was a goner. And until he could figure out how to shut her mouth permanently he had to do what she said. If only Duncan would pick up his damn messages.

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31

Dana Marie Bell

“I know.” She stared down at her perfect manicure, that sweet, sweet smile on her face, and Jaden had to forcibly keep his hands to himself. “It would be a shame if Jeremy found out how to destroy you completely, wouldn’t it?”

With a growl, he glided out of the room and shut the door in her pampered face.

I hate that bitch
. He looked down at the number on the paper and headed straight for her private room, misting through the lock easily. He picked up her private phone and placed the call he’d been ordered to make, all the while wishing Duncan would get back
soon.

There was a freight train running outside her room. Which was odd, since her apartment wasn’t anywhere near train tracks. Ruby groaned and pulled a pillow over her head.

Or tried to, anyway. Something else was on the pillow. “Get off, Cliona,” she muttered, batting her hand at her cat.

There was a snort, followed by “ow” in a deep masculine voice.

Ruby’s eyes flew open. Staring at her and holding his nose was Leo.

“Um.” The events of the night before rushed through her head, bringing heat to her cheeks. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” If she hadn’t seen the happiness beginning to flirt around his mouth she would have been mortified. As it was, she was merely horribly embarrassed.

“Did I hurt you?” She reached out with one hand and stroked the bridge of his nose.

He took her hand in his and kissed her palm, heat, humor and tenderness making his eyes shine in the morning light. They even looked a different color, startlingly light and bright. “I’m fine, kitten.” With a groan he rolled over and stretched, a whole body stretch that involved flinging his arms over his head, his incredible chest bowing up off the bed. She bet if she looked under the covers she would see his toes curling. And he called
her
kitten. Right now, he reminded her of a sleek jungle cat, all muscle and sinew and
man
.

“How about a shower before breakfast?”

She blinked, staring. He climbed out of bed, his body was magnificent in the early morning light. That golden color obviously wasn’t a tan, either. There wasn’t a single tan line on him. She knew; she looked.

Closely.

“Of course, there are other things we can do before breakfast.”

He caught her staring at his tight, firm ass. His low, sexy growl sent heat racing through her system.

Oh yeah. She could go for some more of that.

Her stomach, however, had other plans. It growled, loudly. “Or not,” he laughed, reaching down for her. He grasped her hand he pulled her from the bed. “C’mon, shower, then breakfast.”

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Dare to Believe

Before they could make it into the bathroom she heard the theme song from
The X-Files
coming from Leo’s leather pants.

Leo picked up his pants and pulled out his cell phone. “Hey, Dad, what’s up?”

Ruby held back a laugh.
The X-Files?
Not what I’d pick for my dad.

The expression on Leo’s face slowly changed from happy to shocked. Her grin faded away, her concern for her new lover overriding all of the good feelings she’d woken up with. “When?” He stared at her and held out his hand. She took it and winced at the way his fingers curled tight around hers. “I’m on my way,” he whispered, closing the phone. He clenched it in his fist, still staring at her blankly.

“Leo? What’s wrong?”

He blinked and took a deep breath. He looked…devastated. “Shane.”

She pulled on one of the courtesy robes, belting it around her waist. She stared at him, knowing this was the end of their idyllic morning after. “Your brother?”

He just stood there, his face building to a burning rage, and she knew something terrible had happened.

“He’s been kidnapped.”

Ruby looked out the window of the plane once again and wondered how the hell she’d let herself be talked into this.

He’d stared at her for a moment longer, naked, vulnerable, and hurting, and she hadn’t been able to help herself. She’d gone to him, allowed him to cling to her, his big body shaking with rage and grief.

That vulnerability hadn’t lasted long. Soon he was on the phone, arranging for the flight, asking that she order breakfast for the both of them while he made arrangements to go to his family.

She’d quickly showered while he paced, knowing he’d need to leave as soon as possible and he’d need the shower before he left. She’d dressed in the red skirt and corset, feeling even more out of place in it than she had at the party.

He’d taken the quickest shower she’d ever seen anyone take in her life, then pulled on the black leather pants and boots he’d worn the night before, minus the horns. He was on the phone all through breakfast, his face hard, his expression harsh and cold. He dealt with delegating some of his responsibilities in the office, letting his staff know that he’d be on an extended leave of absence. It was obvious he had no intention of returning until his brother was found. A small part of her mourned that, but the larger part agreed with him.

By the time he was done he must have been starving. His stomach was growling so loudly she was surprised his staff couldn’t hear it through the receiver. She reached for the phone to call a taxi to take her home, not wanting to burden him with anything at such a bad time. “Hello? I need a taxi at—”

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33

Dana Marie Bell

She was startled when she found the receiver snatched out of her hands. “Never mind, the lady won’t need that ride.” He hung up the phone and stared at her, daring her to say something.

She licked her lips and, for just a second, saw his eyes heat up. “Leo, you don’t need to be worrying about me right now.” She put her hand on his arm, gazing up at him in concern. “You need to worry about your family. I can see myself home.”

“I’ve made arrangements for a limo to stop off and pick us both up. We’ll stop at my place first, I’ll pack, and then we’ll head to your place. Our plane leaves in four hours.”

Her mouth opened but nothing came out. He reached up and pushed her jaw shut with one finger, his expression filled with ruthless determination. “Leo. What do you mean, ‘our’ plane?” She was proud of the fact that her voice wasn’t shaking.

“You’re going with me to Nebraska.”

“I’m going home to my apartment, changing clothes and doing laundry.
You’re
going to Nebraska.”

“Don’t fight me on this, Ruby.” His voice matched his face, hard and uncompromising.

“You can’t just up and take me to Nebraska, Leo! A, it’s a federal crime to kidnap somebody, because I said no. B, it doesn’t matter, because I said
no.
Besides, what about Cliona?” Her hands went to her hips, her toe tapping on the thick, soft carpet. Sort of like it wanted to tap on his thick, soft head.

“Taken care of. Mandy’s agreed to watch out for her.”

Ruby’s jaw dropped again, this time in anger. “What?”

“Your bags should be packed by the time we get there. Megan has been very helpful.”

“You had no right!” He’d rearranged her life without even consulting her.
Well, at least I don’t have
to call my boss and tell him I won’t be in tomorrow.

He didn’t pretend not to understand her. “I had every right.”

“Leo—” she protested, only to be cut off when he put his fingers over her mouth.

His jaw clenched, pain leaking through the determination on his face. “I need you with me. Don’t ask me any more questions than that. I can’t explain it yet. Just… I need you to trust me. Please. I need
you.
”

And that, she knew, was what had done it. Strong, arrogant Leo Dunne had practically begged for her support. So here she was, winging her way to Nebraska, of all places, to stand by Leo’s side and help him through this.

I’m an idiot. An idiot on a plane.

His head was back against the seat, his eyes closed, but she knew from the way his fingers were clamped around her hand that he was far from asleep. His thumb occasionally stroked hers. She couldn’t tell if he was trying to soothe her or himself. She could feel from the tension in his body that he was far from calm, and wondered why it was that he wanted her with him so badly. She sighed deeply, squeezed his hand, and turned back towards the window, hoping she would be able to be what he needed.