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“I’m sure you gutted all the charm out of it and added all your security features in the process.”
“I didn’t have to,” he stated with a smile. “The previous owner was a higher-up in the CIA. It was completely renovated and locked down tighter than the Vatican vaults when I bought it.”
“Sounds perfect for you,” she said smugly.
“Harley, is that you, dear?”
Jade turned in time to see Harley’s mother come through a set of French doors to greet them. Though she certainly looked older than when they’d last met, the years had been kind to her. She paused for a moment as she gazed at the two of them in the entry, then grinned widely.
“Jade?”
“Yes, it’s me, Mrs. Dalton.”
The woman came forward quickly, scooping Jade into a big hug. It was just like the ones she remembered from her teen years, although now his mother smelled like Chanel No. 5 and was wearing sparkling diamond studs in her ears. She finally pulled away and studied Jade for a moment. “Lovely. Just lovely.”
Then she turned to her son. “Harley Wayne Dalton, why didn’t you tell me you were bringing Jade here tonight? I would’ve had a room prepared for her. Now the housekeeper has already gone to bed for the evening. It’s past eleven.”
“It was a last-minute decision, Mama. Her house was broken into and I didn’t want to stay there tonight.”
“Oh no, that’s just awful,” she said in the thick Carolina drawl Jade remembered. “Of course you’re going to stay here, aren’t you? Since Gabby is asleep, I’ll run upstairs and get a room ready for you.” She paused for a moment, looking curiously at them both with arched eyebrows. “Unless you’ll just be sharing Harley’s room?” she asked with a hopeful twinkle in her eyes.
“That’s fine, Mama. We’ll share. I told her you wouldn’t go to any trouble.”
Mrs. Dalton frowned in irritation, and in that moment, Jade could see she really was the female version of Harley. Her dark brown hair was pulled back, showing the silver streaks that ran through it like elegantly placed highlights. She had the same high cheekbones, the same piercing blue eyes and the same devious smile. “It’s no trouble,” she fussed. “I don’t get company very often.”
“No, really, Mrs. Dalton. Don’t worry about me. At the moment, I just want to get out of these heels, find a bed and pass out on it. I’m exhausted.”
“Okay,” she agreed reluctantly. “Harley, why don’t you show her around and take her upstairs to your room. If you need anything, you just come and get me.”
Harley nodded, picked up their bags and headed toward the grand staircase. Jade followed him, taking in the artwork and decor as they climbed the curving stairs and went down the hallway.
“My room is in the west wing of the house,” he explained. “We’re down here to the left.”
He nudged open the door with his shoulder and stepped inside. Jade followed him into the large, bright room with its king-size bed. It had a pale blue duvet that matched the paintings on the walls. Most of the furnishings were white and oversize, but fit well within the space. There was a desk and television on the wall opposite the bed.
Harley placed both bags on the bed and then flopped down onto the mattress beside them. “The closet is there—” he gestured to a door “—and the bathroom is over there.” He pointed toward a second one.
Jade kicked out of her high heels and sighed in relief as her feet sank into the plush carpeting. It had been a long, stressful evening and her body was starting to feel the effects. She peeked her head into the bathroom and found a Carrara marble palace awaiting her, with a large soaking tub and a tile-and-glass shower big enough for two.
“I think I’m going to take a bath,” she said.
“Enjoy,” Harley answered, as he kicked off his own shoes and reached for his laptop bag. He took out his computer, and then his handgun, which he placed on the nearby nightstand. Thankfully, all his things had been in the car with them tonight. She had no doubt that her intruder would’ve taken or destroyed Harley’s notes and files to set back the progress of the investigation.
He still seemed preoccupied and on edge, and Jade understood. While everything that happened tonight was traumatic for her, it was different for Harley. Even if he didn’t see the situation as some sort of failure on his part, which it wasn’t, it was more than likely going to fire him up. He was already pouring everything he had into the investigation, but with the stakes raised, he wouldn’t rest until he had the answers.
Jade closed the door to the bathroom behind her and did her best to leave her worries, and his, outside the marble oasis. She started the hot water, pouring in some rose-scented oil she found on the counter. She stripped out of her clothes and jewelry and pulled her hair up on top of her head in a messy bun before dipping in her toe and climbing into the bathtub.
She was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and this was exactly what she wanted. Her little house offered most of the things she needed, but not a soaking tub. It made her miss the one she’d had in her house with Lance. One more thing to add to the list of things that she’d lost over the past few years.
When Jade lay back and closed her eyes, she found she couldn’t relax as easily as she’d hoped. She was worried. Not about the investigation. Not really even about the break-in. Yes, there was a threat from an unknown source, but she had no doubt that Harley would do everything he could to protect her. That was actually the problem. He would do anything. That scared her.
When they’d found her home in disarray, she’d noticed something change in Harley. A switch had flipped inside him and any ideas she might have entertained about him settling into the quiet life of a CEO went out the window. He was instantly in combat mode, pushing her behind him and searching the house, pistol drawn, to make sure the culprit wasn’t still there. When he was satisfied, he’d called the police and put away his weapon, but she could tell he was still wound tight.
She appreciated his efforts, but the excitement in his eyes worried her. Her bad boy from high school had always enjoyed living on the wild side. The military fed right into his need for adrenaline. His money and success might offer him fewer opportunities for adventure, but he still enjoyed the rush of danger. Jade supposed he couldn’t go from jumping out of airplanes and interrogating suspected terrorists to filing paperwork, and still be fully content with his life.
She knew that much. She’d known it when she’d walked away from him all those years ago, and she knew it when she’d invited him into her bed a few days ago. That was why she’d gone into this whole situation with caution. Harley was older and wiser, but not everything had changed. The quiet, peaceful, secure life she craved was never going to be okay for a man like him.
Jade took a deep breath and tried to let the hot water and the scent of the oil relax her and chase away her anxieties. The bottom line was that keeping emotionally distant from Harley was hard, but necessary. She had enough going on in her life without dealing with the inevitable heartbreak of falling for him. Whether he ended it or she lost him in a dangerous twist of fate, she would end up alone and hurt, and she couldn’t go through that again.
