The Tycoon's Misunderstood Bride (16 page)

“You’re very cute when you’re terrified, Emma,” he said with a chuckle and nudged her under her chin.  “I’ll be with you while we do this, okay?”

She nodded, eager now to start.  “I know of someone else who might be
able
to help as well.”

“Who’s that?”

“My housekeeper,
Nancy
.  She’s the only one that was allowed into his office
while he was alive
.  She was supposed to clean it every morning before he came down to breakfast but I don’t know if she saw anything that might help us.”

“It’s worth a try.  Are you hungry?”

Emma shook her head.  “I think I’m too nervous to eat anything.”

He smiled and that look came into his eyes again.  She shrank back and shook her head, smiling even as she
rejected his obvious intent
.  “Don’t even go there,” she commanded and pulled
the sheet higher.  “You did that
too often last night and I don’t know if I can take anymore.’

Instantly, his eyes changed from desire to concern.  “Are you okay?  Did I hurt you?”

Her heart sang with happiness that he would even care.  “I’m fine.  I just…”

The relief was instant.  And he also understood.  “Come downstairs when you finish showering.  We’ll have some breakfast, then drive over to your house and start searching.  Okay?”

“Okay.”

She watched as he
disappeared
into a closet, coming out a few moments later in pair of well worn jeans and pulling a soft looking sweater over his head.  Her mouth was already watering as she watched the material stretch over his muscles and she actually reconsidered her admonition to abstain from any kind of
sexual
encounter this morning.  But he winked in her direction, then headed out the door, closing it behind him to give her privacy. 

She sighed as soon as she was alone, wishing she could think more clearly when he was around.  The man was exceptionally good looking.   Amazingly, he could also follow through on the promise of that exciting body.  The man was masterful at making love.  And creative!  She couldn’t believe how he’d convinced her to try different positions, each one feeling just a little bit different from the others.  She shivered at the memory of how desperate she’d become during the night, begging him to let her climax and clinging to him as
the pleasure ripped through her, making her cry out with happiness and pleasure. 

She slipped out of the bed and moved quickly to the bathroom.  She felt a little silly when she pulled his large bathrobe on as she started up the shower, but she couldn’t stand there naked while waiting for the warm water to flow. 

It was fast and she showered quickly, eager to rejoin him for breakfast.  She didn’t have any other clothes except the ones she wore last night, and she felt a little silly coming downstairs to breakfast in a cocktail dress, her shoes dangling from her fingers, but she braved her way through the initial meeting, looking shyly towards him as he sat at a small table on the patio reading the newspaper and sipping coffee. 

He must have sensed her presence because he quickly looked up and spotted her, then stood up and walked over to her.  “I still like the dress.  Sorry you don’t have anything else to wear.  We’ll have to fix that, won’t we?”

“Um…” she wasn’t sure what he meant by fixing her attire, but he didn’t give her a chance to respond before he kissed her and led her over to the breakfast table.  He poured her some coffee, then sat down across from her.  “What
are you in the mood
to eat?” he asked and gestured for a servant who suddenly appeared by her side. 

“Oh, just some toast, please,” she said and looked down at her coffee, embarrassed that she was obviously dressed in her clothes from the previous night. 

“Some fruit as well,” he said then nodded to the servant who quickly stepped away to carry out his instructions.

“I don’t want to hold you up.”

“I don’t want you to pass out on me,’ he countered with a wicked gleam.  “I kept you up late last night.  I need to replenish your energies.”

Emma flushed and looked away
.  “You have a beautiful house.”

“Thank you.  When are you going to move in?”

Even Jason was startled by that question.  He couldn’t believe that he’d actually uttered the words.  After years of maintaining his distance with his lovers, he hadn’t ever thought of sharing his house with another person.  But Emma wasn’t like the others.  There was definitely something different about her.  He’d known it from the beginning but after last night, it was confirmed. 

And he was actually irritated by her startled expression.  She was his wife, for goodness sake!  Why wouldn’t she be living here?   “What are your objections to moving in?”

She carefully placed her coffee cup back in the saucer, using both hands because her hands were shaking too much.  “Well, I guess I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Husbands and wives usually live together.”

She blinked and looked down at her lap.  “Yes.  That’s very true.”

“And we’re
actively
trying to conceive of a child.  If that happens, then we’ll want to raise that child together, don’t you agree?”

Emma swallowed painfully.  “Yes.  That’s probably best for the child.”  But what was best for her?  She was screaming out that she
didn’t
want to be married to a man who only wanted information.  She wanted someone to love her, someone who would be there for her when things were bad and also a cheerleader when she was excited.  She knew these kinds of marriages existed.  She’d seen it in other couples when she was out and about.  She’d never had any kind of loving relationship except with her mother and she didn’t really want to fall into a loveless marriage. 

Well, she actually was in a loveless marriage.  But there was something more…permanent if she moved in with him. 

“I suppose we’ve just been playing at this whole thing, haven’t we?  Going about our roles because we were caught in my father’s trap.”

“Is that how you see things now?” he asked softly.   He didn’t really see himself as much of a martyr.  He wanted this woman.  That was about the sum of the whole thing.  He’d wanted her since she’d first stepped into that limousine on the day of her
father’s
funeral.  Not the best time to set one’s sights on a future prospect, but he couldn’t
change how he’d felt after seeing her dainty, sexy leg and those incredible lips that even now, he wanted to kiss once again
. 

“Well, how do you see our relationship?”  She wasn’t going to admit that she was actually falling in love with the man.  She felt silly even thinking of such an occurrence happening so quickly after their first meeting.  She’d known him for about
two or three
week
s
?  This was only infatuation.  It was ridiculous to think that she was in love with this man.

A psychologist would explain that she was just falling in love with the first man who paid her any kind of attention.  She’d lived a loveless life for so long, she simply attached herself to the first handsome man who crossed her path.

But last night’s event showed her that she
really
wasn’t just grasping at men.  She could have found any of those men attractive.  But deep down, she knew that none of them matched the intelligence, confidence and bold masculinity that she found so enticing in Jason. 

Jason sighed and folded his newspaper.  “I think we need to table this conversation until we’ve known each other for a little longer.  But how about if you keep some clothes here?  Because I can guarantee that there will be more nights like last night.”

Emma hated that she continued to blush but couldn’t stop it. Besides, she liked the idea of another night, or many more, like last night. 

“You’re cute when you blush like that,” he said as he stood up.  “I have one call to make before we head over to your house and search your father’s study for information.  I’ll be right back, then I should be free for the rest of the day.”

He walked over to her and bent down, kissing her gently while his thumb softly caressed her cheek.  “I hope it doesn’t stop,” he
murmured
, then disappeared into the house, leaving Emma on the patio with her coffee and a stunned expression. 

With a sigh, she picked up her coffee once again and sat back against the comfortable cushions of the patio chair.  She had a lot to deal with today.  One step at a time, she told herself.  She needed to get through the morning first and that was going to be an emotional upheaval.  She wondered if Nancy would be able to give them any insight into where her father might have kept secret files. 

The servant arrived with buttered toast and a bowl filled with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and several other berries she didn’t recognize.  It was so pretty she couldn’t help but sample the vibrant fruit.  And when it popped into flavor in her mouth, she enjoyed the entire bowl
and felt enormously better once she was finished. 

Jason came back just as she popped the last one into her mouth and she smiled up at him.  “All set?” she asked. 

“Definitely.  I’ve cleared my whole day so we can work through your father’s study.  Let’s hit it,” he said and pulled her into his arms.  They walked out of his house with his arm around her waist and Emma felt loved and cherished at that moment. 

Back at her house, she rushed up the stairs to change, pulling on the least casual pair of slacks she could find.  She wished she had a pair of jeans like Jason’s.  They looked extremely comfortable, but she hadn’t thought to include that in her wardrobe splurge yesterday. 

As she came back down the stairs, she smiled at Jason who watched her with each step.  “No jeans?  This might get a little messy.”

She shrugged slightly.  “I don’t have any.”

Jason pulled his phone out from his pocket and dialed a number.  “Laura,” he said when the other person answered the phone.  “Good morning.  I need a favor.  Could you send over several pairs of jeans for Emma?  Same address.  And a pair of riding pants and boots.”

Emma’s eyebrows went up with that request.  “Riding pants and boots?” she asked when he disconnected and slipped the phone back into his pocket. 

“This afternoon.  I have a feeling we’re going to need to work off some steam.”

She smiled
and her mind instantly came up with a much more enjoyable way to de-stress but she kept her mouth shut.  Jason didn’t miss the blush though and kissed the top of her head.  “That might be a good way as well,” he said as he took her hand and led her to the closed door of the study.  “Are you ready for this?” he asked as his hand rested on the doorknob.

She took a deep breath, then nodded. “Yes.”

He pushed open the door and, with her hand s
till held in his, he pulled her
into the dark office
that somehow reminded Emma of a dungeon or a filthy prison cell
. 

Emma’s eyes widened as she stepped into the heavy, oppressive room.  There was a feeling here, as if some evil force had been at work and was just waiting to be reactivated. 

“He’s gone.  He can’t hurt you now, Emma.”

“I know,” she said and took a deep breath.  “I’ll start at his desk,” she said with determination.  “You take a look at his computer since you’re probably more adept.”

“Actually, I can do better than that.”  He reached into his pocket once again.  “Mark, I’m sending over a computer.  I need you to download all the data, which might be encrypted, and organize everything you find.”  He replied to several more questions but they only took a few moments.  After disconnecting the call, he took the laptop to Tim, who was in the kitchen with Nancy.  Both of them stood at attention as soon as Jason stepped into the room.  “Tim, bring this over to my office and give it to a Mark Sutherland.”