Read Online Mysterious by Fayrene Preston - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fayrene Preston
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nearness, his eyes so filled with blue fire, were swamping her. "I don’t." Her last protest was murmured. "I didn’t."
"Then you give the damnedest imitation of seduction I’ve ever seen, lady. What would you call asking a man to take you to a hotel for the night?"
"I explained all that." Her fingers combed through her hair in frustration. When she let go, her hair fell back into place in sweetly scented waves. "Aren’t you ever going to be able to forget it?"
He reached out and fingered a strand. "Not in my lifetime."
"Why?" Unbidden heat was building in her.
His voice dropped to a low rumble of suppressed desire. "Because I’m not sure I’ll ever recover."
"Jerome ..." His name was almost a moan.
He placed a finger over her lips to silence her. "Look, you’ve got nothing to worry about. I accept that you’re a married lady. But regardless, I’m going to take care of you. That’s it. Period. I can’t seem to do anything less."
They soon arrived at his apartment and parked. Since Jerome’s arms were full of packages. Jennifer fished in his coat pocket for his keys and opened the door. She stepped across the threshold first, then gasped. Furniture was overturned. Cushions and pillows were ripped open, costly art objects were smashed. And in the corner, the beautiful rocking horse had been torn apart.
Disorder and destruction were everywhere, and Jennifer had to close her eyes as a brief sharp pain of deja vu flashed through her mind.
"Son of a bitch," Jerome muttered softly through clenched teeth. "It seems we had visitors while we were gone." He slammed the packages down and motioned her back into the hall. "Stay here until I’ve had a look."
"No! Don’t go in there! They might still be around."
"If they are, they’ve bought themselves a helluva lot of trouble. They’re on my home ground now."
He quickly searched the apartment, then came back to stand in the center of the room and grimly survey the damage, his fists on his hips.
She walked up to him. "Jerome, I don’t know what to say."
"If you expect me to believe that this was a random burglary, you’ll have to come up with an awfully good story."
She shook her head. "I’m so sorry," she said, "and your beautiful horse." But he wasn’t listening to her.
"It would seem that Richard has found you." Jerome spoke quietly, but the cords on his neck were standing out, evidence of his controlled anger. "What I don’t know is why he would tear up my apartment."
Helplessly she realized that there was no answer she could give him that would make him feel better. She watched as he made his way to what was left of the horse and bent to begin carefully sorting through the pieces and placing them in neat piles. Her heart turned over at the sight. The exquisite treasure was in hundreds of pieces. She doubted even an extremely skilled craftsman could put it back together again.
It was all her fault, Jennifer thought miserably. She wanted to go to him, to offer him comfort, but intuitively she knew that he was in no mood to accept it from her. What could she do? How could she ever make it up to him?
Finally he stood up, and there was a new resolve on his face. "They’ve come into my home, invaded my privacy, and destroyed things that meant the world to me. That definitely makes your business my business now, and I’m not going to quit until I discover what the hell is going on. This whole thing is an intricate puzzle and you, sweetheart, are the center piece."
Chapter Five
Much later that evening, after helping Jerome set the apartment to rights as much as possible, Jennifer stood at the window. Lights shone along the street below. Cars passed, stopping occasionally to buy a paper or a magazine at Leo’s newsstand. Little of this street activity could be heard, though, through the extra-thick glass of Jerome’s apartment windows. Her gaze swung to him. Sitting in the depths of a wing-back chair, he was absorbed by legal
"Then you give the damnedest imitation of seduction I’ve ever seen, lady. What would you call asking a man to take you to a hotel for the night?"
"I explained all that." Her fingers combed through her hair in frustration. When she let go, her hair fell back into place in sweetly scented waves. "Aren’t you ever going to be able to forget it?"
He reached out and fingered a strand. "Not in my lifetime."
"Why?" Unbidden heat was building in her.
His voice dropped to a low rumble of suppressed desire. "Because I’m not sure I’ll ever recover."
"Jerome ..." His name was almost a moan.
He placed a finger over her lips to silence her. "Look, you’ve got nothing to worry about. I accept that you’re a married lady. But regardless, I’m going to take care of you. That’s it. Period. I can’t seem to do anything less."
They soon arrived at his apartment and parked. Since Jerome’s arms were full of packages. Jennifer fished in his coat pocket for his keys and opened the door. She stepped across the threshold first, then gasped. Furniture was overturned. Cushions and pillows were ripped open, costly art objects were smashed. And in the corner, the beautiful rocking horse had been torn apart.
Disorder and destruction were everywhere, and Jennifer had to close her eyes as a brief sharp pain of deja vu flashed through her mind.
"Son of a bitch," Jerome muttered softly through clenched teeth. "It seems we had visitors while we were gone." He slammed the packages down and motioned her back into the hall. "Stay here until I’ve had a look."
"No! Don’t go in there! They might still be around."
"If they are, they’ve bought themselves a helluva lot of trouble. They’re on my home ground now."
He quickly searched the apartment, then came back to stand in the center of the room and grimly survey the damage, his fists on his hips.
She walked up to him. "Jerome, I don’t know what to say."
"If you expect me to believe that this was a random burglary, you’ll have to come up with an awfully good story."
She shook her head. "I’m so sorry," she said, "and your beautiful horse." But he wasn’t listening to her.
"It would seem that Richard has found you." Jerome spoke quietly, but the cords on his neck were standing out, evidence of his controlled anger. "What I don’t know is why he would tear up my apartment."
Helplessly she realized that there was no answer she could give him that would make him feel better. She watched as he made his way to what was left of the horse and bent to begin carefully sorting through the pieces and placing them in neat piles. Her heart turned over at the sight. The exquisite treasure was in hundreds of pieces. She doubted even an extremely skilled craftsman could put it back together again.
It was all her fault, Jennifer thought miserably. She wanted to go to him, to offer him comfort, but intuitively she knew that he was in no mood to accept it from her. What could she do? How could she ever make it up to him?
Finally he stood up, and there was a new resolve on his face. "They’ve come into my home, invaded my privacy, and destroyed things that meant the world to me. That definitely makes your business my business now, and I’m not going to quit until I discover what the hell is going on. This whole thing is an intricate puzzle and you, sweetheart, are the center piece."
Chapter Five
Much later that evening, after helping Jerome set the apartment to rights as much as possible, Jennifer stood at the window. Lights shone along the street below. Cars passed, stopping occasionally to buy a paper or a magazine at Leo’s newsstand. Little of this street activity could be heard, though, through the extra-thick glass of Jerome’s apartment windows. Her gaze swung to him. Sitting in the depths of a wing-back chair, he was absorbed by legal
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