Trusting Jack (24 page)

             
She lifted her head.  “I changed my mind.  I’ve decided I don’t want to talk.”  She moved to walk around him and he blocked her path. 

He advanced, forcing her to step back, until he was inside with the door closed.  He reached out and took the jacket and clutch out of her hands.

“Hey!”

“We are going to talk, Emma.”

“No, we are not.”

“Fuck, Emma,” his temper flared, “quit being

so stubborn!  If you would just listen to me, we could fix this!”

“I’m going out.”

“Not dressed like that, you’re not.”

Now Emma’s temper spiked.  “You have no say-so over me!  You’re not my daddy or my husband!  I’m going out and I’m finding a man who’ll take me home with him!”

“Like hell you are!”  Jack grabbed her arms and hauled her against him.  His lips came down on hers in a punishing kiss.

Emma struggled against his hold and managed to break free.  “How dare you put your hands on me!”

“I dare because you belong to me!”  He moved quickly, pinning her against the wall.  He caught her lips again, forcing them open and thrusting his tongue inside.

The feel of her, the taste of her was like a feast after a famine.

And he was starving.  The need for her slammed into him and he pressed his body hard against hers.

Emma tried to struggle again, but his nearness overpowered her, and her body began to crave the touch she’d been so long without.  Her hands tangled in his hair and she returned his kiss.

Jack growled low in his throat and cupped a breast.  When she hummed her approval, he slipped it inside her dress and circled a nipple with his thumb.  It hardened and Emma whimpered. 

He removed his hand and went lower, shoving

it under the hem of her dress.  He felt her, hot and wet,

under her panties.  He palmed her and she arched into

him with a cry.  He pushed the fabric aside and slid two

fingers into her.  She moaned into his mouth and her

hips began to rock.

She came violently, crying out and bucking hard against his hand.  She shuddered and would have slid to the floor if not for him holding onto her.  Her dazed eyes met his and he pressed her hand against the erection straining the front of his jeans.

“I need you bad, Emma,” he muttered thickly.

The sound of his voice brought her to her senses and she snatched her hand away.  “I’m sorry,” she gasped.  “That shouldn’t have happened.”

“It should never have stopped.”  He reached for her again and she shoved at his chest.

“I need some room.”  When he stepped back, she ran trembling fingers through her hair and straightened her dress.  “That shouldn’t have happened,” she repeated.  “We were both angry and lost control. It happens.”  She nodded, trying to convince herself.  “I’m going upstairs and you need to leave.  Please.”

She ducked around him and made it half way up the stairs before he recovered.  “We still haven’t talked.”

She turned to face him.  “I can’t right now, not after… Look, I’ll give you this.  I promise I will talk to you.”

His heart leaped.  “When?”

“I’m not sure.  In a day or two.  But not now, Jack.  I need to think about what just happened.”

He nodded.

“I’ll call you, when I’ve thought it through,” she promised.

He nodded again and watched as she rounded

the corner at the top of the stairs.  He pulled

himself together and went home to take a cold shower.

Chapter 32

“I take it the talk got postponed in favor of other activities?” Norah whispered the next morning as they were being driven to the set.

Emma stilled, her eyes darting to meet Norah’s.  She turned bright red.  “Oh, my God.  You heard?”

“Kind of hard not to.”

“Oh.  My.  God.”

Norah chuckled.  “I was hoping to hear more,” she teased.  “I was beginning to get pretty excited myself.”

Emma dropped her head, mortified.  “He—we—it—“

“Exactly.  It sounded like a fun time was had by all.  Why did you put an end to it?”

“Because sex isn’t the answer.”

“Yesterday, you were willing to have sex with a stranger to get over it.”

Emma opened her mouth, and then closed it.  “You know, I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.”

“Fine.  But I want to know how your next ‘talk’ with Jack goes.”

When Emma glowered at her, Norah just grinned back and enjoyed the rest of the drive in silence.

***

The minute they arrived, Norah was whisked off to hair and makeup.  Emma settled into her usual spot, away from the action but close enough to see the scenes being filmed and to be there quickly if summoned.

She booted up her laptop and began scanning over emails and the schedule for the next few days.  She grimaced when she realized how busy it would be.  Days full of long hours of shooting.  A couple of press conferences blocks marked off for night shoots.

She read through an email from David outlining some pre-production setbacks on
Jilted
; work on that had been postponed.  It looked like Norah would have some extra free time.  She moved the email to a folder and made a note to print it later.  She wished actively for coffee.

As if by magic, a steaming mug was placed under her nose.  She inhaled the aroma, looked up and grinned widely when she saw Alison.  “You’re back!”

“First day,” she confirmed.  She sat beside Emma and sipped from her own mug.  “And it’s so nice to be back in the thick of it again.”

“How happy is Jack?”

“Ecstatic.  He claims he was totally lost without me.  And when I saw how he fouled up the filing system, I was inclined to believe him.”

“Gah.  I’m glad Norah’s pretty good at keeping up with work things.”

“I had such a good time with you two. Let’s do it again.”

“Love to.  It’ll be a while, though.  We’re pretty much booked right now.”

Alison wrinkled her nose.  “Us, as well.  I can’t believe it’s almost over; these past months have flown by.”

“I know.  Three more weeks, if we stay on track.”

“And after?  Will you be going back home?”

“For a few days, at least.  To see Mama and wait

for Norah’s next project to start up.”

“You haven’t settled your differences with Jack yet?” Alison asked quietly.

Emma frowned.  “No,” she admitted.  “But I did promise to talk to him.  And I will, as soon as I get enough time.”  She pointed to the screen.

“Well.  Looks like you’re even busier than us.  Oh,” she focused on the scenes listed.  “Isabella and Philippa have the show-down.”

“Yeah, that’s going to be a fun one to watch.  And I think the show’s about to start.”  She pointed to where Norah and Susan Ellis, portraying Philippa of Hainault were running lines.

Emma and Alison watched avidly as the cameras began rolling, both of them loving how the actresses slipped effortlessly into their roles.

“Why do you insist on not having me crowned?  Were you not crowned as my lord’s father’s queen?”

“I was.  I am still Queen of England, Philippa.”

“My lady—“

“Your Majesty,” Norah, as Isabella, snapped.

“Your Majesty.  My child, the heir to the throne, is due to arrive in a scant three months.”  Philippa placed her hands on her burgeoning belly.  “Would that his mother be Queen of England upon his birth,” she pleaded prettily.

“Child, you overstep your bounds.  If not for me—“Norah tripped on the hem of the peach velvet gown she wore and stumbled into a prop table.  “Shit!  Sorry!”

“That’s ok,” Thomas called out.  “Back to place and begin again from ‘child’.”

She shuffled around and began again.  “Child,

you overstep your bounds.  If not for me, you would

not even be carrying the heir.”

“I will speak to Edward if I must.  It has been two years since we were wed.  I will be queen.”

Blue eyes narrowed, Isabella replied, “What does a silly little chit, not yet sixteen, know of being queen?”

“I presume just as much as a lady past her prime and hungry for power,” Philippa shot back.  The two stared at each other, contempt on both their faces.

“Cut!  Brilliant!  Norah, I want to go over the dialogue from the next scene before we shoot it.”  Thomas led her to the side and Susan walked over to Emma and Alison. 

“Excuse me, do either of you know where the nearest restroom is?”

“That way,” Emma pointed, “third door on the left.  You’re a terrific Philippa.”

“Thank you!”  Susan glowed.  “She’s a great character.  Susan Ellis.”  She held out a hand, Emma took it.

“Emma Payne.”

“Oh
, you’re
Emma!  I’ve heard all about you; you were Jack’s favorite topic in Germany.”

Alison giggled.  “I can imagine.  I guess he didn’t forget about her.  I’m Alison.”

“Ah, yes, his assistant with the new baby.  I know he’s glad you’re back.  And no, there was no forgetting.  When I found out he was devoted to Emma here, why it fairly broke my heart.”

Emma couldn’t stop the snort.  “Devoted,” she muttered.

“Guess I’d better hit the loo,” Susan told them,

“so I can get the pregnancy padding back on before we

go again.  I really don’t see how pregnant women can

deal with it for months on end.”

She walked off, holding up the hem of her purple silk gown, and Alison turned to Emma.  “She’s right on both counts.  The pregnant belly is hard to lug around, and Jack is devoted to you.”

Emma rolled her eyes.  “It’s a conspiracy,” she announced to the ceiling.  “They’re all against me.”

“I’d like to be against you, love,” Marcus said from behind her.  He dropped a heavy hand on her shoulder.

“Marcus,” she replied coolly.

“Ah, don’t punish me.  I’m sorry for the other day.”

“Sure.”

“And I’ve news.  I’ve had a third screen test and it’s been narrowed down between me and another fellow.  I’ve all but signed the contract.”

“How nice.”

“I’ve told Roger that I’ll be leaving him after we wrap.”

“But what if you don’t get the part?” Alison asked.

He looked at her with cold, disdainful brown eyes.  “I’ll get it.  I’m the only one they’ve called back three times.  They want me.” 

He turned his attention back to Emma.  “Let me buy you lunch, to celebrate.”

“Oh.  Um.  Congratulations, Marcus, really.  But Norah’s so swamped right now that I just can’t.  I’m sorry.”

“Right.”  His hand tightened on her shoulder, slid to her elbow, before it dropped away.  “Another time, then.” 

He walked away and Emma rolled her eyes.

“He’s got it bad for you,” Alison observed.

“He can just get over it,” she replied shortly as the crew began filming again.

Chapter 33

              The next two days were filled with filming, phone calls, and emails.  Emma barely had time to breathe, let alone seek Jack out for the promised talk. She would see him from a distance and he would throw his hand up and smile.  She’d wave back but continue on with her business.

             
She was, she admitted to herself, beginning to wonder if he had been telling the truth.