Slow Burn (44 page)

He grinned. “That explains a lot. I think I
owe Vaughn more than an apology.”

“And tell him his mother is alive.” She sat
up. “Oh, Ron. We need to inform the police that Frankie plans to go
to Mexico and kill her, too.”

“Not unless he escaped police custody. Eddie
told me they already picked him and the Doyles up. They’re throwing
the book at them—attempted murder, kidnapping, destruction of
property. Let the police figure out who did what, but I’ll let
Eddie know about Vaughn. He already talked the local precinct into
putting off talking to you and Mom until tomorrow.”

“That’s a relief.”

Ron kissed her temple. “He also wanted me to
tell you your family is on their way here. “

Ashley groaned.

“Oh, and Matt called while you were with the
doctor,” he added.

Her heart dropped. “Uncle Jerry—”

“Regained consciousness,” Ron reassured her.
“The doctors think he’ll make it. He’ll need a lot of therapy but
he’ll be fine.”

“That’s great news.” Ashley slid back on the
pillow and sigh. “There’s something you need to know about my
family. Once they get here, we won’t have a chance to be
alone.”

“Then do me one favor, Ashley Fitzgerald.”
His eyes were dead serious.

“Done.”

His brow shot up. “You haven’t heard it
yet.”

She pressed a kiss on his lips. “I don’t have
to. I love you and you love me. Whatever it is, I’ll be happy to do
it.”

“I like this new you. No, I love it, which
means I have to scratch my original plan,” he added and settled
with her against the pillow.

Ashley searched his face. “What plan?”

“Too curious to pass, huh? I knew it.” He
grinned when she narrowed her eyes. “I had planned to keep you
under lock and key in my bedroom, tied to my bed,” he wiggled his
eyebrows, “make love to you until you admitted that you loved me,
needed me and couldn’t possibly contemplate life without me.”

She was no longer smiling by the time he
finished speaking. Her gaze caressed every feature on his face. “I
love you, Ron. I need you. I had no idea how much I need you until
today. If you hadn’t appeared—“

“You still would have made it. You’re strong
and resourceful.”

Ashley covered his lips with her finger.
“Shh, I’m not done yet. I don’t mean appeared as in the speakeasy.
Before that. I had given up, Ron. The memories came back in a rush,
and they were too painful and overwhelming. I wanted to give up and
die in the same room my parents died in. Then you appeared.” He
frowned, his eyes puzzled. “Yes, you. It was your face I saw when I
was at my lowest, your smile. Your strength gave me the push to
survive.” Her voice broke and tears filled her eyes. “If you want
us to be together, however long—”

He crushed her lips with his and cut off her
words. Too soon, he lifted his head, leaving her gasping. “If?
There’s never been a question of if with you, sweetheart. From the
first moment I saw you, I knew you were mine. As for the how long?
How does forever grab you? I can’t live through something like this
again.”

Her heart trembled and happiness bubbled
inside her. “Me neither. What’s the favor you wanted to ask
me?”

“Agree to marry me and make me the happiest
man alive.”

He took her breath away, just like he’d done
ever since they met. She hadn’t expected him to propose, offering
to her what she needed—him.

“Unless you think I should talk to your
family first, then get a ring and go one knee,” he added,
misunderstanding her silence.

She leaned against his shoulder and sighed.
“A ring would be nice, and yes, Aunt Estelle will expect you to
officially ask her because she’s been like a mother to me. Lex will
want to do a background check on you because he hates surprises.
The twins, Chase and Baron whom you already met, will likely take
you to their boxing club for a round or two before they can decide
whether you’re worthy.” She looked into his eyes. “I’ll kill them
if they dare. Jade and Faith will love you because you love me. And
my other aunts and uncles….” She laughed at his horrified
expression. “Don’t worry. They’re not that bad once you get to know
them.”

“Ashley?” he growled.

“Yes, Ronald. If you still want me, I’ll
marry you.”

He grinned and lowered his head to whisper.
“I’ll always want you, sweetheart. And if your family doesn’t
approve of me, promise to elope with me and have a dozen kids so
they’d have no choice but to accept—”

Laughing, she grabbed his nape and kissed
him. They were still locked in each other’s arms, when the
Fitzgeralds stormed into the room.

THE END

BIOGRAPHY

E.B. WALTERS grew up reading Nancy Drew and
the Hardy Boys and dreaming of one day writing her own stories. She
finished her PhD in chemistry, married the love of her life, and
decided to be a stay-at-home mother. She now lives in a picturesque
valley in Utah with her husband, five children and two American
short-hair cats. When she is not writing, you can find her doing
things with her family, reading or traveling, online chatting with
fans. She writes both YA fantasy under the pseudonym Ednah Walters
and adult romance under E. B. Walters. AWAKENED the first YA
fantasy book in The Guardian Legacy series was released in
September 2010 with rave reviews and BETRAYED, book 2, will be
released in the fall of 2011. SLOW BURN is the first book on the
Fitzgerald family. She is currently revising book 2, MINE UNTIL
DAWN. You can visit her online at www.ednahwalters.com.

COMING IN JUNE 2011

MINE UNTIL DAWN

E.B. WALTERS

CHAPTER 1

A whisper of fabric caused Jade’s head to
snap toward the doorway. She blinked and inhaled sharply. She
didn’t want to stare but couldn’t help herself. A man literally
filled her doorway, yet his eyes drew all of her attention. Steely
gray. Fierce. Reminiscent of a panther on the prowl.

She dragged her gaze away from his and gave
his large frame a once over. Wide chest, broad shoulders, black
polo shirt under a leather jacket and well-worn black jeans—a body
built for sin.

“I believe we have an appointment, Professor
Fitzgerald.”

The words rolled off his sculptured lips and
she spied a hint of a dimple on one lean cheek before it
disappeared. Nice. Jade’s gaze connected with his narrowed ones and
she realized he was waiting for a response.

“Vince Knight, right?” Her voice came out
breathless. She flushed when his eyebrows shot up. Of course, he
was Vince Knight. She’d listened to his voicemail several times
today
and
yesterday. His sinful and sexy voice alone, deep
and husky, was unforgettable. It brought to mind silk sheets,
intertwined limbs and sweaty bodies.

“Come in, please.” She got off the corner of
her desk, where she’d propped her butt.
Get your mind out of the
gutter while you’re at it.
She indicated the chair across from
hers. “Take a seat.”

“Thank you.”

Okay, so he was six feet plus of male poster
material and she hadn’t had sex in a…year? No, a year and a half if
she counted the six months her no-good, sorry-excuse of a husband,
now her ex, had been busy taking care of his secretary’s needs
rather than hers, his wife. Still, that was no excuse to drool

Vince stepped into her office, dwarfing it by
his sheer presence. He exuded raw power so overwhelming, Jade
decided to put some distance between them. Unfortunately, he chose
that moment to run his steely gaze over her gray and white,
Bohemian-inspired, crinkled peasant skirt. Jade cringed. Had she
known he was this hot, she would have worn one of her new suits and
some heels, not her field-trip skirt and flats.

Still, her temperature shot up and her bra
felt too snug. She became conscious of her smaller stature, which
was ridiculous. At five-seven, curvy and with parts of her body
refusing to be toned down, she wasn’t tiny. When his gaze paused at
the bare skin visible above the neckline of her black shirt, Jade
knew she was close to melting.

Pull yourself together before you have an
arrhythmia attack.
Her mind and body warred. Her mind, as
usual, won. Jade took a deep breath, held it and exhaled
slowly.

She made her way behind the desk, sat and
crossed her legs. The gorgeous hunk remained standing, his gaze
locked on her like a heat-seeking missile. What was he waiting for?
And why couldn’t he stop staring?

“You, uh, have a problem with sitting down or
is it the chair?” Her gaze shifted to her desk clock then back to
him. She smiled to soften her next words. “You have five minutes,
then I have to leave. There’s a roomful of art history students
waiting for me down the hall.”

A hint of a smile flashed in his eyes as he
pulled out the chair and sat. “You haven’t changed one little bit,
Jade Fitzgerald.”

Jade frowned. What did he mean by that? “Have
we met before?”

“You don’t recognize me,” he said with no
inflection in his voice, so she couldn’t tell whether he was
pleased or disappointed.

Jade tilted her head and contemplated his
features. Arrogant arched eyebrows, bold nose and chiseled
cheekbones created a face so full of raw determination it
mesmerized. His black hair was cut short as though to tame it, but
the cut didn’t hide the defiant waves at the base of his neck. His
eyes and the dimples softening the austere face were familiar.

An elusive memory teased her, then
disappeared. “I know I should because you look familiar. Did we
meet at one of my mother’s parties?”

“No. We attended the same high school.”

Oh no, not her worst nightmare.

“High school. That was eons ago.” Her tone
came out cool.

Vince nodded. “I know. I was there for a
short period, so I’m sure I didn’t leave a lasting impression.”

A memory tickled her mind again. She fought
to grasp it as she studied him. His face and intensity reminded her
of …who? “I’m sure that’s not the case. I’m just terrible with
faces.”

Even as she spoke, an image took hold. He
couldn’t possibly be Vinny? The rumor then was he came straight
from juvenile detention to her school. After he disappeared,
everyone assumed he went right back to the juvee. His tough-guy
attitude made him a magnet for girls. Three months were all he
spent in her school, and he scored with half the cheerleading
squad. Could have been a rumor, but it made him a rebel every
hormone-driven boy in school wanted to emulate.

How could she have forgotten him? And how
could he remember
her
? Their paths collided once, a
humiliating moment she tried to erase from her mental Rolodex. Even
worse, it never stopped her from weaving fantasies about him,
envying the girls he supposedly seduced in the back seat of his
black Trans Am. Then there was the juicy rumor about the size of
his….

Heat spread up Jade’s neck. She tried to
cover it with a smile. “I remember you, Vince. You were something
else in high school. What happened? You just disappeared after a
few months.”

Vince shrugged. “I needed a change.”

And what a change. The rebellious youth was
now a man with rippling muscles, a face of sharp angles and planes.
His old cocky smile, hinting at dark secrets, was absent, but his
eyes still had the power to tug at a heart and pierce a soul.

“So, what can I do for you?”

Vince leaned forward. “I’m in need of some
information.”

“Oh.” She studied him, but the man had a
poker face. “On what?”

“Who,” he corrected. “Estelle
Fitzgerald.”

Jade stiffened. “My mother? Is she the brief
consultation you mentioned in your message?”

“Yes. I’ve been trying to locate her. Left
her numerous voice mail messages, but she hasn’t returned any of
them. I was hoping you’d help me.”

Jade opened her mouth to answer, but bit her
tongue. “What’s this about?”

“Nothing serious,” he said.

Her stomach hollowed out, the same
sinking-in-the-stomach feeling she had the first
and
second
time someone asked for her mother’s whereabouts. “Why would you
seek me out if it isn’t serious?”

His eyebrow shot up at her steel-over-velvet
tone. “I need her input on something. Can you tell me where she is
and how I can contact her?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“Why not?” His eyes narrowed.

Those eyes and ruthlessly controlled
expression belonged to a dangerous sort of man, an unpredictable
man. She didn’t do unpredictable. “Because you’re the third person
to ask about her in the last two weeks.”

Vince shifted, the heel of his hands coming
to rest on her desk. “Who were the other two? What did they
want?”

“Why do you want to know?” she shot back,
fighting the urge to lean back. “I may only be her daughter, but
I’m tired of everyone being vague about why they want to see
her.”

“Look here, Jade—”

“No,
you
look here.” She leaned
forward. “I’m not going to tell you anything unless you come clean
with me. And the more you hedge, the more I’m convinced I have
every right to know what’s going on.” He glowered at her and a
sliver of apprehension shot up her spine. The man was intimidating
when riled, but she wasn’t backing down.

She lifted her chin. “So. Why are you looking
for my mother?”

He shot his watch an impatient glance. “You
don’t have time for a lengthy explanation.”

“Make it brief. I’m sure I can get the gist
of—”

“Excuse me, Professor J,” a voice
interrupted.

Jade smothered a groan and looked toward the
doorway where a young man stood. Shaun Holton, her graduate
student. “Yes, Shaun?”

“Sorry to interrupt, but the students are
getting restless. Do you want me to cancel the class?”