Jade saw the fear in Sawyer’s eyes, not for himself but for his loved ones. He looked as fierce and protective as a SWAT team.
No wonder she was falling in love with him. A man like Sawyer would not let his people down. Not when it mattered.
“She might, but for the most part and for now, you, not your family, are her focus. As long as she believes she has a chance with you, you’ll remain the person on her radar.”
The corner of his mouth lifted, though he was anything but amused. “Tick her off again and we can’t predict what she’ll do. Is that it?”
“Actually, I have a good notion of what the stalker might do, and it scares me, Sawyer.” Scared her deeply. Sawyer could be in danger. A lot of danger.
Enraged stalkers had been known to murder their victims.
An awful thought suddenly slammed into her brain and prickled the hair on her arms. The stalker could be watching the house. She could know, right now, that Jade and Sawyer were alone together. At this very moment, some crazy woman could be plotting her next move.
Sawyer could be in danger because of his feelings for Jade. Because he’d kissed her. Because he loved her.
The truth hit her so hard, her knees threatened to give way. Sawyer Buchanon loved her. He hadn’t been playing at romance last night. He loved her.
If she cared—and she did—she should get out of his house and leave him alone. For more reasons than one.
She paced to the front window and peered out. “I wonder why the police haven’t arrived?”
“They were working a car accident out on the bridge.” Sawyer tossed his empty soda can into the trash can. “I told the dispatcher not to rush. The house isn’t going anywhere. And I’m safe.”
“You may not be.”
He froze midmove. “You think she’s still around? Just waiting?”
“I think she might know I’m here and that knowledge could be dangerous. You have to avoid any situation that might send her over the edge.” She fought the quiver in her voice. Staying cool was hard when someone she cared for might be in jeopardy. “Please, Sawyer. Take this very seriously and be careful. I don’t want—” she glanced to one side, words falling to a whisper “—anything to happen to you.”
* * *
Sawyer’s heart leaped. He heard what she didn’t say. No matter what had spooked her last night, she cared for him.
He crossed the space between them in three seconds, gently took the notebook from her, placed it on the table and tugged her hands into his. He longed to hold her close and forget about this crazy stalker business.
“I don’t like this, Jade. You could be in danger, too. That scares me more than anything.”
She pulled her hands away. Her lips trembled the slightest bit. “I trained as a police officer. I can take care of myself.”
Her usual bravado was not convincing.
“You shouldn’t have to. This nasty business is my fault and I won’t have you in harm’s way because of me.”
“All right then, we’re in agreement.”
“Good. You’ll let me protect you.”
“No.”
“No?” He tilted his head, bewildered, frustrated. She could be so annoyingly self-reliant. “But you said we’re in agreement.”
“That we can’t see each other.”
“What? No! I didn’t agree to that. I can’t.” She’d admitted she had feelings for him, but now she didn’t want to see him. What sense did that make? “I’d rather you take yourself off the case and go home to Paris. You’ll be safer there anyway until this stalker business goes away.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m too close to stop. And trust me when I say this ‘stalker business,’ as you call it, won’t go away by itself. She probably knows I’m here right now, and we both know I’m the cause of today’s furious attack. But you’re the one she’s after, not me. I’m perfectly safe.”
He wanted to argue but couldn’t. The stalker was smart, smart enough to know about the romantic dinner, smart enough to know Jade was more to him than a business acquaintance.
“So what do we do?”
“We avoid each other as much as possible, and we can never, ever be alone together again.”
He let two beats pass while the words soaked in. “What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Sawyer, I care about you.” She reached out and then seemed to change her mind and let her hand fall. “But that’s not important.”
“It’s the only important thing in this conversation.”
“No. This is business, an investigation. I’m getting paid by your family. If I allow my personal feelings to interfere—”
“They already have.”
“That has to end here. Now. Today.”
“Is that what you want?”
“That’s what has to be. We’ll work together until this case is resolved but in the meantime we have to be more…professional.”
“Professional?” After he’d kissed her? After he’d thrown his heart at her feet? “I’m starting to empathize with my rejected stalker.”
“That’s not funny.”
“You got that right. I don’t feel like laughing at all. I want to be with you, Jade. I have feelings for you. Strong feelings. You can’t ignore that.”
Feelings. Such a mundane term for the tsunami of emotion filling him up from the inside out. But for now feelings was the safest term. At least to his heart.
“I know, and I—” At the very second he thought she might admit to feeling the same, Jade stopped, frustrating him all over again. “We can’t let this go any further. Being apart is for the best.”
“For who?” He was getting riled up. Mad. Ticked. Hurt.
“For all concerned.” Jade picked up the notebook and held it between them like a shield. She straightened as tall as a small woman could, her usually full lips prim and tight as she spoke. “I don’t think things between us can ever work out, Sawyer, on any level and for many reasons. We should end it now and move on.”
“Because of this crazy stalker issue? You’d let some nut job come between us?”
“It’s more than that.”
“Then explain it to me. And be very clear, because I must be stupid.” He banged a fist against his chest, directly over the throbbing ache. “Tell me you don’t care for me. Tell me that, and I’ll walk away and never bother you again.”
She glanced down, voice barely a whisper. “I can’t.”
“Then what’s the deal!” He slammed that same fist into his palm.
Jade flinched. Her gaze flew to his face, eyes widening, pupils dilating until the gray formed only a thin ring on the outer edges.
He’d scared her. For one fraction of a second, she’d thought he would raise his fist and hit her.
His eyes dropped shut. His pulse banged with regret.
Jesus, forgive me.
Softening his demeanor, Sawyer stepped close again, voice lowered to a hush. “This isn’t about the stalker, is it? This is about your ex.”
She had secrets in her eyes as she shook her head. “You are in danger, Sawyer. I won’t be the cause of a tragedy.”
“Okay. Granted, but you’re holding something back.”
She crossed her arms, shut him out. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’re afraid to trust me. You’re afraid I’ll turn into your ex. That I’ll hurt you. I wouldn’t. Not ever.”
It killed him to know she’d been hurt so deeply, that because of her ex she’d lost her trust in men, had lost a baby. A baby that would have been a little girl with her blond beauty or a little boy with her strength. A baby he would have adored.
She looked vulnerable and alone, though she didn’t have to be. Not with him. Didn’t she get it? He’d take care of her. He’d make her happy. He’d be the man her ex wasn’t.
Sawyer couldn’t help himself. “I love you, Jade. I’ll never hurt you. We can work this out.”
Her mouth dropped open the slightest bit. Her chest heaved. Emotion swam in her usually cool gray eyes.
Sawyer opened his arms and waited, vulnerable, accepting. If she rejected him, he’d live. He wouldn’t want to but he would. But he had to hold her this one last time.
Just when he thought she might turn and walk away, she moved forward and leaned her head against his chest. Simply leaned.
He wrapped his arms around her and sighed deeply.
Now they were getting somewhere.
* * *
Jade nearly crumbled as Sawyer held her like a child against his thudding heart. She shouldn’t have capitulated, but the hurt on his face had nearly done her in. She loved being here, near him, listening to his life source thrum for her.
“I’m not afraid of you, Sawyer.” Granted, she’d flashbacked to Cam raising his voice and then his fist. But only for a second.
She wasn’t afraid of Sawyer. She was afraid for him.
“I never want you to be. I want—”
She couldn’t let him say it. “You wouldn’t. I know that. But there are other reasons.”
She loved Sawyer Buchanon, but if she said the words that bubbled and danced in her throat, she’d be lost forever.
A thousand emotions rolled through her. Love. Longing. Fear.
“We can work this out, Jade. Whatever it is.” The words rumbled in his chest and tickled her ear, his voice full of emotion she couldn’t let him feel. “All you have to do is tell me. We’ll face it together.”
A thousand conflicting emotions swamped Jade. She loved him. He was a good man.
She wanted so badly to cling to him and pledge her love. But she was afraid for him, too.
They couldn’t be together. Too many barriers stood between them, and would remain even when the stalker issue was resolved—if there was indeed a crazed stalker. Part of her believed it. Part of her didn’t, and those were facts she couldn’t share with Sawyer. If he knew everything, would he want her then?
Her brother Bo could have ransacked this house. He could have written the note. He could have dumped the rose petals as a smoke screen. Those were exactly the things their father would encourage, applaud. “An eye for an eye,” he’d say. “They owe us an eye.”
No matter what else happened, the issue of her family remained. Her family. His enemy.
“I wish… If things were different…” She squeezed her eyes tight as Sawyer’s heart thudded faster against her ear. “But they’re not.”
“They will be once we find out who this stalker is. We must be getting close or she wouldn’t have upped her game.”
Jade raised her head and soaked in his beloved face. “No. Nothing will change, Sawyer. We’re too different. We won’t work.”
“What are you talking about? We have tons in common. The outdoors, skiing, funny movies, kids. We both love kids.”
The words seared her like a blowtorch. They were good together on so many levels. “Our families are worlds apart.”
“I’m starting to think you’re grasping for excuses, looking for a way to let me down easy.” He bracketed her face with both hands, pleading with eyes so blue and wounded, she almost capitulated.
She couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Especially now when he was in danger.
“Nothing unfixable,” he said. “I care for you. You care for me. We’ll work out the rest as we go.”
Jade backed away, watching as his arms fell to his sides. If she had any integrity at all, she’d end this now.
“There are things you don’t know.”
“They won’t matter.”
Frustrated not to be able to get through to him, she dropped her head back and groaned. “Yes, they will. They will!”
“Try me.”
“You’ll hate me.”
But that was what she wanted. Right? If he hated what she’d done, the lies of omission, the truth of who she was, he’d let her walk away from any hope of a relationship…and he’d be safe.
She licked dry, dry lips and blurted, “You don’t know me. Not really. My maiden name is Clifton.”
She waited to see if the name jarred his memory.
“Is that supposed to mean anything to me?”
“Your family and mine are enemies.”
He tilted his head, a scowl narrowing the space between his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”
“Hugh Clifton is my father.” When he still didn’t react, she went on. She might as well lay it all out. He’d learn the truth sooner or later, especially if her family was involved in the break-ins. “Clifton Concrete. Four Buchanon Built homes had to be demolished. A lawsuit.”
Behind the puzzled face, Sawyer’s mind worked and she knew the moment the name computed. “You’re—?”
“Yes.”
And before the initial shock wore off, before he could spew all the horrible things she knew to be true about her father, she turned and walked out of his life.