Jaded (11 page)

“I
—”

“For a lady with so much gray matter, this isn’t too bright. I can’t believe you’d leave a key out, especially in your business.”

Her anger flared. “My
business?”

“Yes, dammit, your business. You lead men on, for Christ’s sake, you act like their girlfriend.
You’re a paid prick tease.”

Jade stood. “Get out of my house!”

“Sorry, it’s a crime scene, and I’m a cop.”

“Have your friend upstairs do what needs to be done, I don’t care to have any more interaction with you.”

“Can’t handle the truth about yourself?”

Jade threw her hair over her shoulders and strode into his space. “I have dealt with truths you can only pray you never have to face. And I’m still standing. Go preach your sanctimonious bullshit to someone who gives a damn.”

Jase stood his ground. “It’s not sanctimonious bullshit. In your business, you deal with men, horny men who pay a lot of money for your company, and I bet most of them, like Andrew Townsend and Katsuo Hiro, think you owe them more than dinner and conversation. So isn’t it remotely conceivable to you that one of them might just try to force himself on you?
In
your home, where there would be no witnesses?”

“You have a colorful imagination, Detective.”

“No, I have a realistic imagination. It doesn’t take much to imagine what a man who thinks he got ripped off will do to a prime piece of ass.”

His words stung. Jade shook her head and stepped away from Jase. “You are no gentleman.”

He reached a hand out to her and abruptly retracted it. “That was wrong. I meant—”

Jade smiled, not feeling any joy from their exchange. Her life had been and continued to be all about perception, and right now her survival depended on this cop’s current perception of her. But despite all of that, it bothered her much more than it should that he believed what he did about her. Inwardly she shrugged. So be it. It was what it was.

“I know what you meant, Detective. And I hear you loud and clear. You obviously aren’t a fan of women, and you certainly think I’m something you scraped off your shoe. I understand it, but please keep your private bigotry to yourself.”

Jase made to move closer. She stepped back. He stopped where he stood. “Look, Jade, maybe we need to start over here—”

“I don’t start over, I just move forward.” She moved past him and said over her shoulder, “How long will your people be here?”

“As long as it takes.”

“I need a few things from my bedroom.”

“No can do,” he said from behind her.

“Fine.” She dug in her purse and pulled out a card. She scribbled her cell phone number on the back, then handed it to him. “Please call me when they’re done.”

Jade turned then and left the house. Anger bit hard at her subconscious. She’d never given much thought to what anyone thought of her. Tina thought she was a manager of a private club, which she was, though she’d never gone into detail about the kind of club. She had no girlfriends, no family, no social life. It was easier to keep her secrets that way.

But it bothered her more than she cared to admit that this Detective Vaughn thought she was nothing more than a high-priced hooker.

Would he offer to pay for her time? That would be the ultimate insult.

For the second time in as many days, Jade felt the stirrings of loneliness. She had run too long and too far for anyone to come into her life and disrupt it. She would fight for her privacy and fight to keep her baby sister safe from the ugliness that was once their lives. The day she took her sister’s hand and ran away from the woman who gave them life, she vowed neither one of them would ever have to be subjected to such abominations again. She would make her own way, and no man or woman would have a say in her life.

Jade gunned the BMW. Hot tears stung her eyes. She needed a cry, a real good one. It had been more than a decade since she had shed a tear for anyone, least of all herself. With her refusal to allow anyone in her life, for her own self-preservation, she had denied herself the most basic of human requirements. The touch of a man, a kiss, a caress.

A warm flush skittered across her skin when she thought of Jase’s large hand sweeping across her skin, lighting her up, stirring deep latent desire. What would it feel like to be loved by a man like him?

The chirp of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts. “Hello,” she softly answered.

“It’s Vaughn.”

Her back stiffened but butterflies skittered along her skin. “Did you lose a criminal?”

He laughed and said, “No, I just wanted to let you know the techs are going to be here through the night. Do you have somewhere you can stay?”

Jade let out a long breath. It wasn’t like she could go back and get her clothes. They were destroyed. Her insurance carrier was going to crap a golden cow when they got the estimated replacement cost. She had tens of thousands of dollars in wardrobe, shoes, and accessories. Luckily, most of her jewelry was in a wall safe in the pantry. It hadn’t occurred to her to look when she was there. If the jewelry were gone? It didn’t matter, it was just metal, rocks, and minerals. None of it held sentimental value.

“I can stay at the club.”

“I thought you were taking the night off?”

“I am, I’ll go in after they close up.”

“And sleep at your desk?”

“We have sofas.”

After a long pause, Jase said, “Let me make you dinner.”

Jade let out a long breath. “Too little, too late, Detective.”

“Don’t read anything into it, Jade, it’s simply an offer.”

“No thanks again. I look like hell and feel like hell. I just want to curl up in bed and sleep.”

There was such a long pause Jade thought the detective had hung up. “Hello?”

“I’m here. I have a friend who’s out of town. His place is clean and comfortable, you’re welcome to crash there tonight.”

“Thanks for the offer. I’ll stay in a hotel.”

“If you change your mind, you have my cell number.”

“I won’t. Good-bye.” Jade hung up before she did change her mind. The sudden yearning for human contact knocked her off balance. It seemed unnatural to her, but more than that, it seemed like the most natural thing to want. Yet she had never felt the urge before, not like this. Was she finally beginning to feel again? Had the numbness of her abuse worn off? Did she dare step back into the fray of an emotional life? She shook her head no. Being so comfortably numb had its advantages.

She turned up 880 with the intention of hitting Santana Row and restocking, at least on a minimal level, her wardrobe. Shopping always made her feel better.

Three hours later, Jade felt even worse. The sense of emptiness prevailed over the six thousand dollars’ worth of haute couture she had amassed.

Forty-five minutes after that, she found herself sitting in front of her house. The unmarked police cars were gone, leaving only the crime-scene van. She felt—gypped. She was hoping Jase would still be there. For what? Waiting for her? Why the hell would he do that? He thought she was a high-priced whore. And maybe she was. Eleven years ago, the price she’d charged for sex was love. The price her mother had charged meant she had to save the family from ruin, her sister from Social Services. She’d succumbed to both.

She’d been played by one man for love and her mother for financial gain. Sex to her was a dirty word; it only conjured up hurt, pain, and shame. She doubted she would ever have a normal sex life. And up until the day Jase Vaughn walked into her club, she had not had one spark of desire for a man in eleven years.

Maybe this time she could blame her melancholy on hormones. Still, it didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want to sleep at the club and the thought of an impersonal hotel room, even a five-star hotel, held no appeal. She wanted the cozy comfort of her bedroom. She wanted to put on her PJs and have someone cook her dinner and tell her stories and make her forget her past, her present, and the unknown future.

She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and stared at it for a long time. She hit the last incoming number and held her breath.

“Vaughn.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Famished.”

“T-bone and cab sound good?”

“Perfect.”

He gave her an address and she entered it into her car’s navigational system. In twenty minutes, she pulled up in front of a new home in a very nice subdivision. Her gut told her she was making a colossal mistake. The little girl in her ignored it. She didn’t want to be alone. Never mind the man behind that door thought she was a prostitute and a murderer.

Jase smiled when he opened the door and she entered, telling herself she was a big girl and could leave anytime she wanted, that no one would force her to stay against her will. That it was her decision for herself, not someone else’s for his own needs.

Her terms.

Upon entering, Jade noted the masculine yet comfortable decor of the house. She liked its wide-open space. A fire crackled in the fireplace and the deep browns and burgundies of the studded leather were inviting.

A bottle of wine sat decanting on the black granite countertop. Jase had changed from his designer suit into a pair of worn acid-wash blue jeans and a white T-shirt. His feet were bare. Normally, she didn’t like to look at men’s feet—she pushed the reasons for it from her mind, the image making her stomach roll—but Jase had strong square feet, the nails square, the toes symmetrical. They looked…sexy.

She looked up and smiled at him. He smiled back.

“Do my feet muster up?”

“Long story, but yes.”

He poured her a glass of wine, then handed it to her. “Have a seat. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.”

“Can I help?”

“Nope, just curl up on the couch. There’s a throw somewhere over there. Get comfortable.”

Sometime later, Jase gently shook her awake. “Jade, wake up, dinner’s ready,” he softly said close to her ear. She started and cried out, the unexpected touch alarming her. Confused by her surroundings, instinctively Jade pulled her feet up under her and hugged her knees to her chest and looked wildly around.

Jase squatted down next to her, not touching. “Jade, it’s okay, you’re safe.”

Reason quickly settled in. Suddenly she felt foolish. “I—I’m sorry, I forgot for a minute where I was.”

He smiled, his eyes level with hers. “Just my place.” He stood and offered his hand to her. Her wild eyes darted from his hand to his face, then back to his hand. She reminded him of a terrified rabbit about to be snatched up by a circling vulture. That urge to protect her surfaced again. This time he allowed it to stay.

“I won’t hurt you,” he softly said. He kept his hand extended. Her big green eyes blinked back what he could swear were tears. He pretended not to see. The woman had a streak of pride running through her as wide as the state of California.

Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, she reached out and took it. Her fingers were cold and her hand trembled. He wrapped his warm fingers around hers, then backed up a step, guiding her up. He walked her into the kitchen, where the table was set.

He pointed to the chair near the window. “I took a chance and took you for a medium-rare kind of girl.”

Jade smiled, and his heart melted a little bit. The gesture on her bruised and battered face was that of a victim trying mightily to overcome trauma. A new respect for the woman began to grow.

Jade’s defenses went on high alert as Jase held the chair out for her. The detective was too accommodating.

As she made herself comfortable, Jase poured her a fresh glass of wine. “Try it, it’s perfect.”

Warily, Jade picked up the glass, swirled the rich burgundy-colored wine around, then took a sip. Rich cherry and floral flavors erupted in her mouth. “Very nice.”

Jase grinned and sat down across the small table from her and poured himself a glass. He raised it to her and said, “Here’s to good wine and good food.”

As she clinked her glass against his, Jade asked, “Isn’t this highly unusual behavior, Detective?”

He sipped his wine, then said, “My name is Jase.”

“My point exactly.”

“If you’re referring to me having you as my guest, in my home, I suppose it could be construed as unusual.”

Jade set her glass down and picked up her knife and fork. The only thing on her plate was a steak. She almost smiled. Typical guy fare, she supposed. Just protein. “But not if you pump me for more information?”

“That isn’t the reason I invited you here.”

She cut a piece of meat and looked straight at him. “Why did you?”

Jase shrugged and dug into his meal. “You looked like you could use a friend.”

“I don’t do friends.”

Jase chewed a piece of meat, swallowed, then sipped his wine. His look was thoughtful. “You don’t seem to do much in the way of personal interaction, and what you do do is an act.” She stiffened, setting her fork down. “Truth hurts.”

His candor shouldn’t have rattled her, but it did. He had a way of doing that to her. “Without sounding like a crybaby, in my life, Detective—Jase, the people I counted on let me down. I learned early not to expect. With no expectations, there is no room for disappointment.”

He raised his glass and clinked it against hers. “Here here.”

“Did your family let you down?”

He nodded and took another bite of his steak. “I suppose. In a sense.”

“Tell me about yourself.” Jade was surprised by her question, but this man intrigued her on several levels. She wanted to know what made him tick.

“Not much to tell. Single white male.”

“Have you ever been married?”

Jase coughed. “Never, and it isn’t an aspiration of mine.”

“Don’t you like women?”

He flashed her a smile. Her stomach did a slow roll in response. “I love women. I just don’t trust them.”

“As a rule?”

Jase nodded. “As a rule.”

“Hmm, so why would a hunky cop who loves women not trust one if his life depended on it?”