pillow that night, a tear escaped. Not because of what she said…or what he didn’t say, but because there was a real possibility that she just let something magical slip away.
Chapter Six
Rhys heard Jade come in the next morning and resisted the urge to walk into her office. Last night flooded into his mind, not that it was far away from his thoughts anyway. After she asked about Maya and he didn’t answer, she’d turned and faced the other direction, staring out the window.
There were at an impasse.
Why couldn’t she understand he couldn’t tell her? This secret, so deeply buried in his family, could never come out. The secret had become a part of him.
He heard a soft knock before Jade came into his office, carrying the day planner his executive assistant always used to help him keep up with his schedule. Lust, swift and fast, punched him in the groin.
What the hell was it about this woman that did it for him?
“You have a meeting with the Secretary of State at nine, and you’re needed on the Senate floor today.”
It seemed her plan was to pretend like nothing happened last night. No. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. Rhys knew he affected her. Even now, as he stood and approached her, he saw the noticeable hitch in her throat.
“You also have a lunch meeting with the governor at noon.”
One day, he’d tell her the truth. One day soon, he’d tell her everything. When they were closer and she understood how much she meant to him. He was pretty close to her now, could smell hints of coconut and lime on her skin.
Jade’s gaze swung up to his as her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip. She stroked her throat. “You…you also have back-to-back meetings this afternoon with the Legislative Education Board and the Tennessee Higher Education Compact.
“Sounds like I’ll be busy all day.”
Wordlessly, she nodded her head.
Before he hired her, he thought he’d worked this entire situation out so cleverly. After he received the second letter and decided not to go to the police, hiring a private investigator seemed like the logical thing to do.
Now, he wasn’t so sure. The first time he saw Jade at his best friend’s engagement party, he knew he had to have her. Then after their night together he found out she worked for Karyn’s P.I. firm and it seemed like the perfect solution. She could help him find out who was sending the notes, and it would provide a way for him to get closer to her.
At first, he thought it was just sex.
Not anymore. It went much deeper, and somehow he had to find a way to make her understand that. Then he could tell her his torrid family history.
“Any new developments with the mysterious letter writer?” he asked.
“Oh…um…no.” She backed away from him and fumbled inside a folder tucked between the pages of the calendar. “Last night I jotted down all my thoughts about who could be sending you the letters.”
Rhys would bet money she stayed up late thinking about the same thing he’d been torturing himself about. He still didn’t know what came over him and made him shove her into that alcove and kiss her. It had taken everything in him to pull back. “Couldn’t sleep?”
Ignoring his question, she continued. “The three possibilities I came up with so far…” She hesitated. “An old lover seeking revenge, someone from your past holding a grudge, or someone from your childhood who knew you when the mother was pregnant, maybe even a relative of the mother of the child.” She tapped her pen to her bottom lip. “It also could have something to do with your work here.”
“What baffles me is they haven’t asked for any money. I’ve received two letters, a threat, but no request for money to keep their mouth shut. There’s something strange about that. They have a hidden agenda. They wouldn’t be sending the letters if they didn’t want some kind of payment in return. I just can’t figure out what it
Chapter Six
Rhys heard Jade come in the next morning and resisted the urge to walk into her office. Last night flooded into his mind, not that it was far away from his thoughts anyway. After she asked about Maya and he didn’t answer, she’d turned and faced the other direction, staring out the window.
There were at an impasse.
Why couldn’t she understand he couldn’t tell her? This secret, so deeply buried in his family, could never come out. The secret had become a part of him.
He heard a soft knock before Jade came into his office, carrying the day planner his executive assistant always used to help him keep up with his schedule. Lust, swift and fast, punched him in the groin.
What the hell was it about this woman that did it for him?
“You have a meeting with the Secretary of State at nine, and you’re needed on the Senate floor today.”
It seemed her plan was to pretend like nothing happened last night. No. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. Rhys knew he affected her. Even now, as he stood and approached her, he saw the noticeable hitch in her throat.
“You also have a lunch meeting with the governor at noon.”
One day, he’d tell her the truth. One day soon, he’d tell her everything. When they were closer and she understood how much she meant to him. He was pretty close to her now, could smell hints of coconut and lime on her skin.
Jade’s gaze swung up to his as her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip. She stroked her throat. “You…you also have back-to-back meetings this afternoon with the Legislative Education Board and the Tennessee Higher Education Compact.
“Sounds like I’ll be busy all day.”
Wordlessly, she nodded her head.
Before he hired her, he thought he’d worked this entire situation out so cleverly. After he received the second letter and decided not to go to the police, hiring a private investigator seemed like the logical thing to do.
Now, he wasn’t so sure. The first time he saw Jade at his best friend’s engagement party, he knew he had to have her. Then after their night together he found out she worked for Karyn’s P.I. firm and it seemed like the perfect solution. She could help him find out who was sending the notes, and it would provide a way for him to get closer to her.
At first, he thought it was just sex.
Not anymore. It went much deeper, and somehow he had to find a way to make her understand that. Then he could tell her his torrid family history.
“Any new developments with the mysterious letter writer?” he asked.
“Oh…um…no.” She backed away from him and fumbled inside a folder tucked between the pages of the calendar. “Last night I jotted down all my thoughts about who could be sending you the letters.”
Rhys would bet money she stayed up late thinking about the same thing he’d been torturing himself about. He still didn’t know what came over him and made him shove her into that alcove and kiss her. It had taken everything in him to pull back. “Couldn’t sleep?”
Ignoring his question, she continued. “The three possibilities I came up with so far…” She hesitated. “An old lover seeking revenge, someone from your past holding a grudge, or someone from your childhood who knew you when the mother was pregnant, maybe even a relative of the mother of the child.” She tapped her pen to her bottom lip. “It also could have something to do with your work here.”
“What baffles me is they haven’t asked for any money. I’ve received two letters, a threat, but no request for money to keep their mouth shut. There’s something strange about that. They have a hidden agenda. They wouldn’t be sending the letters if they didn’t want some kind of payment in return. I just can’t figure out what it
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