Jade (Rare Gems Series) (7 page)

“You’ve been looking into this?”
He nodded. “I don’t understand, you know about this and you’re still here?”

“What he did isn’t anything you could have stop
ped. He was slick. As a matter of fact, you’re not the first woman he’d done this to, and you weren’t the last. There’s a woman in Jasper, Nevada, that is currently going through the same thing.” Quentin got up and moved toward her slowly. “I’m willing to give you a freebie on the money and cards because I can see how embarrassing it might have been for you. But then there’s today with the teacher. You should have waited until we were able to go in and arrest him. But you didn’t. You could have been killed.”

“
A freebie? What the hell is that supposed to…? You know, I don’t care. I was worried that he’d hurt one of the other children. But he was going to kill himself, which I didn’t think would help them either.” He was standing in front of her when she took a deep breath to continue, but he smelled so good. “I can’t think when you’re this close.”

“I’m thinking that’s a good thing.”
He leaned into her and sniffed her throat, and Jade felt her toes curl in her shoes. “I want you. Right now, I’d like nothing better than to take you to my bed and make love to you.”

“I have to go home so I can shift.”
Her mind was humming, as was her body, and when he nipped at her skin, she moaned. “I don’t think we should be doing this here. There are all kinds of people walking up and down the hallway who could come in here.”

“We could lock the door.”
His mouth moved up to her lips, and he suckled her lower one into his mouth and bit her before releasing it. “The bed isn’t as big as the one at the motel, but it’ll do for now.”

He started walking her back all the while touching her, stripping her of her shirt
, then her bra. As soon as the bed touched her legs, Quentin lifted her up, and she wrapped around him as he took her to the bed. When he pulled her nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, she moaned loudly and held him to her.

“I forgot the door.” Her mind was a haze of need and when he pulled away from her
, she whimpered. “Christ, let me take care of the door. Take off your pants now for me and I’ll be inside of you as soon as I click the lock.”

Quentin pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. Toeing off his shoes
, he locked the door, then came back to her. His pants were off even before he was halfway to her. She tore off her pants and panties together and watched him walk toward her.

“I wish I had more
patience when it came to you.” Jade had no idea what he was talking about; her need was clawing at her. “I want to make slow love to you, but I’m thinking we’ll be lucky if I don’t come as soon as I’m inside of you.”

“Please, yes. I want that
, too.” He grinned at her and lifted her up. When he turned and sat on the bed, she was sitting in front of him. This was an amazing feeling.

“You’re going to ride me.
And while you do that, I’m going to feast on these lovely breasts.” Scooting back on the bed with her on his lap, she adjusted herself so that she was wrapped around him again. When he lifted her up, she was slightly confused until he started to lower her onto his cock. “Christ, baby, that’s it.”

It took her a few
minutes to figure out how to “ride” him. Once she figured it out, she held his shoulders while he lifted first one, then the other breast to his mouth and nipped at her. She felt it all the way to her core and threw back her head in pleasure.

“
I need to mark you again. What do you smell like that has me wanting to kill someone?” Jade looked at him through hooded eyes and told him it was a bear. “I need to mark you. Is it always going to be like this? Christ, I’m not going to last.”

“When we come
, mark me. Make it a scar so that everyone will see it.” Quentin groaned and pulled her tighter to him by cupping her ass. “When we come, you have to bite me. Then tear at my skin. It’ll have to be hard enough that you draw blood.”

He rolled her to her back and settled between her thighs.
Holding onto the sheets, forgetting that she could touch him, he growled at her to hold on. As soon as her hands wrapped around his arms, he started pounding into her with hard punches of his cock until she felt it at the back of her throat.

“Come
with me. Come now, Jade. Please baby, I’m—” Quentin roared out her name and sank his teeth into her shoulder. Crying out, she licked his shoulder and felt her canines drop. As soon as she came, she sank her teeth into him and growled low. Christ almighty, her head felt as if it was coming off the top.

“Again,”
he commanded her, and her body responded immediately. Jade felt him drop onto her and welcomed his weight even as her body seemed to be still having a climax. Closing her eyes, she thought of the state of the room and smiled. It was a good thing he’d locked the door.

Chapter
7

“The books aren’t coming out the way that they should.” Roger tried his best to look confused, but he was pretty sure that Quentin knew he was aware of just what he was talking about. “I’ve had them looked over by three different companies, and all of them tell me the same. You’re—”

“Don’t say it.
If you start throwing around accusations you can’t back up, you’re going to regret it later.” Roger leaned back in the chair of the desk he’d been working at when Quentin had come in over an hour ago. He’d been going on about one thing or another when suddenly he blurted out the statement about the accounting being off by thousands of dollars. He was partly right; they were off, but by much more than he thought.

“I’ve taken
precautions, too. You no longer have access to the accounts as of two days ago. The work you’ve been doing since then is set up with a dummy account, and the money you’ve been taking and putting into your account has led me right to your offshore money.” Roger sat up now, wondering just how much he’d been able to figure out and who was involved. Quentin didn’t move from his position at the door and crossed his arms over his chest.

“And,” he asked him when Quentin only stood there
. “You’ve got something you’re holding off telling me. What the fuck is it?”

“If you wanted more money, why didn’t you ask me?
I mean, why steal what I would have given you freely?” Roger only stared at him, thinking there was no way he was this naive. “You didn’t really think I’d not find out, did you?”

“No
. Actually, I thought with your head so far up your ass with Debra that I’d be able to rob you blind and be gone before you figured it out.” Roger stood up, picking up the single key off the desk and slipping it into his pocket as he started pacing the room. “I thought for sure that you’d be married by now, too, but I can see…or I guess smell would be a better word…that you’ve found your mate and have given Debra the heave-ho.”

“She’s your mate.”
Roger nodded, not really paying attention to his brother, only focusing on the door that seemed far away. “What were you going to do? Have one of us impregnate her, then pawn it off as my kid?”

Roger stared at his brother.
Christ, he’d figured that out as well? Then he laughed. Someone had been very busy, it seemed.

“Your she-wolf, did she fill you with these ideas or did you come up with that one all by yourself?
” He moved behind his brother in an attempt to get to the door, but it opened suddenly and there stood a police officer. “Ah, I see, all prepared, are you? Not that it matters. If I wanted through you, I’d simply go.”

“You’re going to jail. And you’re not going to do
anything but sit down and write out your statement.” Roger moved to the chair as his brother’s threat took hold. Putting the key into his mouth, he swallowed it and then let his wolf take him.

Leaping at the cop
, Roger swiped at his brother only to miss him. But he’d caught the cop across the chest and knew that his brother would stay to help him rather than chase him down. But Roger hadn’t counted on the other cops in the hall, nor the big black wolf that stood there growling at him. If the alpha commanded him to stop, Roger knew he’d have no choice. Turning in the other direction, Roger ran down the hall and crashed through the glass front windows just as someone said his name. The pain in his chest had him flinch away, but he knew if he stopped now, he was as good as dead.

Roger moved to his safe house he’d set up two weeks ago. He’d put
everything in it he could think of in the event he had to run, and was now glad he’d thought to put in a medical kit. The fact that he’d not healed when he’d shifted from wolf to human scared him. And when he touched the wound, he knew for sure it was silver.

“You need help?”
Roger looked at the man standing in front of him, and it took his pain-filled mind several seconds to figure out who it was.

“Dad?” The man
, Al Witt, nodded. “What the hell are you doing here? And how the hell did you find me? I didn’t even know you lived in this area.”

“I don’t.
Move to the couch and I’ll see if I can dig it out.” Roger had to be helped. The loss of blood and the silver in his system was making him sick. As soon as he was lying down, his father continued as if nothing had happened.

“I
came here about a week after you and your brother did. I was going to approach him about seeing Andi, but I didn’t know how. A man has a right to see his only granddaughter.” His shirt was ripped open and even that hurt like hell. “You shot anywhere else besides the chest?”

“No. Don’t you think that’s fucking enough?”
He hissed through the pain until he was cleaned up and they could both see the wound. “Angie. Your granddaughter’s name? It’s Angela. We all call her Angie though.”

He had no idea why it mattered to either of them right now. His dad pulled on gloves as he stared at the wound.
“You didn’t heal. Do you know why? Is it because the bullet is still in there?”

“
It’s silver. Silver and wolves don’t mix.” His dad took out a pair of scissors and held them in his hand. “What the fuck do you think you’re going to do with those?”

“Cut you open and take it out. I’m guessing
that silver or not you’ll heal better without it in there gumming up the works. Are you going to be a pussy and cry or take this like a fucking man?”

It took him an hour of digging and he’d only
managed to get most of the bullet out. Roger was sweating like a whore in a church, and blood was soaking the towels around him. Finally Roger let the blackness take him. He was at the point now that he didn’t really care if he ever woke up.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been out. The room’s lighting didn’t change
, but the furniture did. Once when he woke, he’d been in so much pain that he’d screamed like the pussy his father had called him. His father was taking him to the bedroom and trying his best, Roger was sure, to hit every wall and doorframe on the way. When his head hit the pillow this time, he didn’t so much slide into an unconscious state as much as embrace it.

~~~

“The house has central air as well as a whole house vacuum system. The nine bedrooms are all equipped with their own bathrooms as well as an en suite—”

“Could you give me a minute?
” Jade cut off the man showing them around the big house. “I just need to clear up a few things with Mr. Witt.” The man smiled at her, and she had a feeling he didn’t think she had a brain in her head. When he left, she looked at Angie, then at her dad.

“I know, I know, you
want me to go find something to do in another room.” Angie glared up at her before continuing. “But you owe me for this. I was looking around this place and I like it.”

As she stomped away
, Jade had to smile. The girl was as smart-mouthed as anyone she’d ever met. But her father, Jade decided, she wanted to murder. He was looking way too sexy in his tight shirt and tighter jeans. She was distracted for a few seconds when his cock started to harden while she watched. Her chin was lifted up, and Quentin smiled at her.

“You keep looking at me like
that and we’ll never get to find out what each of the bedrooms has in it. It might be something really special.” It took her fogged brain a few seconds to catch up. Quentin laughed when she glared harder.

“What am I doing here and not working? I have a job
, you know, and helping you find a house is not on my job description. I should know, I wrote it out.” She’d been very proud of that, too. “I know what you’re going to say…we’re mates and all and I should help you. But I’m pretty sure you’re very capable of finding your own house.”

“And how will I know if you like it or not?” She looked at him
, confused. “You do want a house, right? I don’t care for living in an apartment really, but if that’s what you want, then—” She looked around the house then back at him as he laughed. “You do like this house, am I right?”

“What’s not to like
? But I still don’t know what you want me here for.” Then it occurred to her. “You want me to live here with you?”

“Well
, of course I do. Why the hell would I buy a house this big if not to give to my wife?” She looked behind her, sure he was talking about someone else. “Jade, I want to marry you. As soon as it can be arranged as a matter of fact.”

“You just met me.”
He nodded and smiled at her. “You can’t want to marry me. I mean, you can want to, but that doesn’t mean you should. I have all sorts of things going on with me.”

“I know you think that most of them are overwhelming
, but they really aren’t.” He took her into his arms and held her. “This is going to be wonderful. I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know you.”

“Are you done telling her yet?”
They both looked at the doorway where Angie was standing. “Uncle Sloan is here and he wants to talk to you, Dad. He says it’s really important.”

Quentin took her hand and they
walked to the front of the house again. The real-estate agent was talking to a tall man who Jade assumed was Sloan. But she stopped moving. Then he turned to look at her. Every part of her body was tense, and her wolf was clawing at her skin.

“I’m his friend.”
The man spoke softly, but she heard him. “I’m not here to hurt you, only to talk to you. I swear to you that I’m not—”

“Angie,” Jade snapped. “Come away from him.
Come to your father now.”

“Jade, what is it?”
She didn’t stop staring at the other man as Quentin questioned her. She was terrified more than she’d ever been, but the man told Angie to go to her dad. She let a little of her wolf go, and he grinned at her.

“Did you know that her boyfriend was a vampire, Quentin?
That Kent Ballard hurt her in more ways than you can imagine?” She shivered when she thought of Kent, but Sloan continued talking without moving in her direction. “That’s how he was able to get her personal information. He hurt her for it.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But he did and he was right. “I had it on my computer and he hacked into it.”

“I
won’t hurt you, Jade. I swear to you. I’ve been a friend of Quentin’s since he saved my life a good many years ago. His daughter is like my own, and I’d never do anything to harm either of them. And now that you’re his mate, you’re family, too.” His voice was soothing, and she wondered if he was using some kind of compulsion on her. “I won’t do that. Once you get to know me, you’ll see that.”

“I
don’t want to get to know you. You’re a vampire. Vampires only want one thing and that’s to drain people. I’ll never submit to you.” He nodded and took a step toward the agent. That’s when she realized that he was in some sort of trance.

“I didn’t want him to see us in the event that you shifted.
Nor did I think it prudent that he was privy to our conversation.” Sloan glanced at Quentin. “You should tell the man you want the house and send him on his way. I don’t think that your mate is going to be able to control her wolf for much longer.”

His voice never changed in cadence
, but she knew that he wasn’t happy with her. Tough shit; she didn’t like vamps and certainly didn’t care for this man. When he laughed, she knew that he was reading her mind. When he touched it, she staggered back slightly.

“I’m very old and have some powers gifted to me by my maker
, who is sadly no longer of this earth. I would like to speak to you openly about Ballard if you’d allow me.”
She shook her head
. “He’s hurting another woman, and will continue on until someone stops him. The last woman he met wasn’t as lucky as you were. He killed her when she didn’t have enough to give him.”

“He would have killed me
, too, had I not been a wolf.”
He nodded and looked at Quentin when he came back into the hallway with them.
“You hurt him or his little girl and I’ll stake you.”

“Agreed.”
Sloan looked at Quentin when he stood beside her. “Your mate and I have come to an understanding. She’ll let me advise you on the issue you had me look into, and I’ll live a good deal longer, so long as I don’t hurt what is hers.”

Jade wanted to deny it
, but it was basically the truth. She walked to Sloan and put out her hand. It was a handshake that would change their lives if either of them crossed the line. She’d have his scent, and he’d have hers as well. He seemed to know that she didn’t give what was hers easily.

“I’m honored by this.”
She pulled her hand away and watched as he licked his palm. “Your scent is as good as your blood if I need to find you. And I’m sure you’ll do the same.”

It wasn’t a threat
, but it could have been, and they were both aware of it. When Quentin took her hand, she looked at Angie, who tugged on her shirt. The little girl looked bored.

“Are you guys going to be friends or what?
I love you both, but I’m not going to let you be mean to each other.” Sloan picked her up and kissed her cheek. “You should kiss Jade, too. She’s really nice and Daddy loves her.”