How he’d love that, she thought. “Where’s Sara? Sara Cameron?”
“In her classroom. Why?”
Relief made her giddy. Sara was safe. She hadn’t spent any time alone in this hateful office. Suddenly Jenna wasn’t hot but cold, and she shivered.
“Are you okay?”
Jenna heard his voice, the words registered, but strangely enough, her vision had started to fade around the edges.
She, who’d never fainted before, felt her legs start to crumble, and her greatest nightmare came true.
Hot beefy arms reached for her, and with that jolt of harsh reality, she no longer felt as if she was going to pass out. Her ears stopped ringing. Her eyesight came back.
But none of that changed the fact that Rand Ridgeway was supporting her, leering at her, those hard knowing eyes searching her face as his big sweaty hands continued to grip her.
The office door opened, bumping into them both.
“What the hell?”
Jenna didn’t have time to react to that achingly familiar voice before she shoved at Rand with all her might.
Surprised, the big man fell back, stumbling into his desk. The momentum of the shove had Jenna falling gracelessly to the floor.
Still sitting there, she braced herself, shoved her hair out of her eyes and faced a shocked-looking receptionist and an equally startled Stone.
He turned to the receptionist with a firm nod and polite smile. “Thank you. I’ve got it from here.” And without waiting for her reply, Stone shut the door on the woman’s surprised face.
He came directly toward her, his tall rangy figure quite a sight for her overworked brain. She could do nothing but stare up at him, dazed.
His face filled her vision, his icy blue eyes hot with fear and concern and rage. He hunkered down to her level. “Are you all right?”
The roughness of his voice didn’t faze her, nor did the way his entire body tensed, braced for battle. What did were the tears she felt spring to her eyes.
He was so innately sweet, even when she’d destroyed him. It amazed her that he could put aside his fierce anger at her deception, all to make sure she wasn’t hurt.
“Are you?” His voice changed, lowered, became unbearably gentle. Shifting nearer, he froze when she instinctively winced at the close proximity. Careful not to touch her, which only made her hot tears fall, he lowered his voice even more. “Did he hurt you, sweetheart?” Barely suppressed violence shimmered beneath his control.
“Of course not!” Rand exclaimed indignantly, straightening. “Don’t you have eyes in your head? She shoved me!”
In one fluid motion, Stone rose to his feet, grabbed Rand by the front of his shirt and held him against his desk. “Why were your hands on her?”
“She fainted!” But while Rand shouted this in a holier-than-thou tone, Jenna noticed he did not even attempt to protect himself from the younger, clearly stronger man. “You’re going to be very sorry, Cameron, if you don’t get your hands off me. I feel a huge lawsuit rising.”
And he meant it, Jenna realized. “Stone,” she said, rising shakily to her feet and swiping awkwardly at her tears. “I’m okay.”
Stone didn’t budge, just held Rand with ease. “I don’t know how you live with yourself, Ridgeway. Fooling the whole town, hiding how sick you are.”
“Still holding a grudge, I see,” Rand rasped out.
“Stone. Please. I’m fine.” Jenna set a hand on his back. The muscles beneath her fingers were taut, yet quivering.
“He touched you. He scared you.”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “I started to faint. It was my fault, not his this time. Please,” she added, grasping his shirt in her fist and tugging. “Please, Stone, listen to me.”
Surprisingly he did. The instant he let go of Rand, the older man scrambled behind his desk, straightening his shirt as he glared at the both of them. “Get out.”
Ignoring him, Stone looked at Jenna. “You came here for Sara.”
“Yes. She-”
“I know. I came back for something and saw the note. You dropped everything, faced what had to be your greatest nightmare and came here.” He looked confused. More hurt than angry now, thank God. “For her.”
“I had to,” she said simply.
“You had to.” Stone nodded calmly, but when he let her look into his eyes again, she saw humbling affection, relief, lingering concern-and a need that stole her breath. It was such a staggering show of emotion she could hardly speak. “Please,” she whispered. “Please, let’s get out of here.”
Stone turned to Rand. “Where’s my daughter?”
“She went back to her classroom,” Rand said with a sniff. “It was a case of mistaken identity. It wasn’t her. She’s off the hook and back to work.”
Stone sent him a smile that was only such because he showed his teeth. “See that you don’t make that mistake again.”
Then he opened the door and waited patiently for Jenna to pass through first. He was still painfully careful not to touch her, which left Jenna both grateful for the chance to compose herself and regretful for a lost opportunity.
In the parking lot Jenna climbed into her car while Stone held the door open for her.
He’d insisted on escorting her, staying until he’d satisfied himself that she was not only buckled in, but capable of driving. She’d told him three times she was just fine, but her damn voice kept shaking and her hands were icy.
She’d faced Rand Ridgeway. The thought kept dancing in her head. For her daughter, she’d faced her nightmare. It felt good.
Stone leaned on the still-open door, his body preventing her from shutting it. She wished he’d hold her, but the night before he’d made it quite obvious just what he’d thought of her.
“You can go to your meeting now,” she told him. “I’m fine.” She couldn’t face his anger at what she’d done, not now.
He hunkered down and studied her. “You’re still trembling.”
She was, had been since Rand had touched her, but she couldn’t seem to stop.
“Jenna. Let me…” He reached in, and his arms-those solid warm arms-encircled her, gently easing her against him as if he was afraid of hurting her.
Emotions raced through her, the strongest a terrible fear she was dreaming. If she woke up, he’d be gone. So would Sara.
“This is the first time in a long time that I’ve held you as Jenna.”
He didn’t sound resentful or angry, and she sighed in relief, luxuriating herself in his strength. She felt his lips slide over her forehead, into her hair, then his jaw settled on top of her head. Tucked firmly into his body, she could think of nowhere else she’d rather be, and suddenly, she was holding on for dear life as she shivered in delayed shock.
He just held tighter, holding her for long moments while she struggled for composure.
When she finally pushed back, his grip on her eased immediately, but he didn’t let her go. “I’m sorry,” she said finally.
“Don’t be.”
The words rumbled from his chest, against the ear she had pressed flat against his shirt. She became excruciatingly aware of his every breath, of his arm brushing ever so lightly against her blouse, which in turn brushed against her breasts. And at her hip, she became aware of a growing heat, a pressure that told her he was every bit as aware of her as she was of him.
