Page 11 of The Forbidden Texan
“I’m so sorry,” she repeated and he smiled.
“You sound as if I just announced I’ve decided to live alone on an island the rest of my life. I really don’t feel sad about the choice I’ve made for my future. After watching my family, marriage doesn’t look like such a hot deal to me.”
“My goodness,” she said, sounding more sad than ever and he knew she felt sorry for him, a reaction he’d never had from a woman before. Sure, plenty of times they weren’t happy to hear him say he didn’t intend to marry. There were times they obviously thought they could change his mind, and there were other times they felt the same as he did. But he hadn’t ever encountered a woman who sounded as if he had a pitiful, disastrous future ahead of him.
After Jake parked, he took Emily’s arm to walk inside to the lobby of the tall building, which housed the club. He placed a hand on her back and felt that same smoldering awareness of touching her and being close to her. Despite his vows earlier that day, desire rose in him. He wanted to stop and take her into his arms and kiss her. That was not what he wanted to feel, so he released her and just walked beside her.
“Oh, there’s my brother,” she said when they approached the center of the lobby. “I told you, I see someone in my family everywhere I go,” she said, stepping in front of Jake. “Don’t worry. I’ll deal with him.”
Jake looked over her head and recognized her second-oldest brother approaching them and looking ready for a fight. Jake stepped out from behind her and she stepped right back in front of him. “I’ll take care of Lucas.”
Jake laughed. “I’ll talk to him. I’m not going to hide behind you and I’m not scared. I didn’t come home after fighting in Afghanistan to get clobbered by your brother in a downtown lobby. It’s not going to happen.” She looked up at him as he grinned at her.
“I guess you’re not afraid, but Lucas doesn’t need to cause me trouble and this is sort of a family matter.”
Jake watched Lucas Kincaid striding toward him. With his blond hair, there was a family resemblance, but Lucas wore a scowl and his fists were clenched. After what he had gone through in the army, the whole thing was laughable, except Jake didn’t want to fight with her brother. Especially when he was with Emily only for business reasons.
“Hi, Lucas,” he said.
“Get away from my sister,” Lucas snarled. His face was slightly red and his blue eyes sparked with anger.
She stepped between them quickly and poked her brother’s shoulder with her finger. “Lucas, go home now. This is a business matter and not a social event, and I’ll discuss it with the whole family when we’re together because it concerns all of you.”
Lucas’s gaze narrowed and flicked to Jake and back to her. “Business?”
“Yes, and if you don’t move on, you’re going to regret this. You’re interfering in my business dealings. Good night, Lucas.” She turned to Jake. “Shall we go?”
Smiling, Jake nodded. “See you, Lucas.” As they passed her brother, Jake fought the temptation to look over his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, he won’t jump you from behind. That announcement shocked him and he’s probably watching us and trying to figure out what’s going on.”
“I’m not turning around to look.”
“My brothers will leave you alone. I’ll see to that.”
He smiled and took her arm lightly to enter the elevator. “Thanks for the protection but I’m not worried about your brothers.”
“I guess you’re not,” she said, her gaze running across his shoulders and making him draw a deep breath because she was studying him intently. “They can be so nice and so annoying,” she said.
“That’s family,” he said, letting out his breath. “At least, it describes my family.” He held her arm, aware he still had that instant, intense reaction to touching her. She stood close beside him and his gaze drifted over her. Her skin was smooth and warm, soft beneath his fingers. When she looked up, their gazes locked.
While his pulse jumped, his attention shifted to her rosy lips that were too appealing, too sexy. He clenched his fists to keep from putting his arm around her and pulling her closer for a kiss.
As if offering him a reprieve, the elevator stopped with a slight jerk and the door opened.
Jake inhaled deeply and released her as she turned to step out of the elevator. His heart raced and he couldn’t understand the response she stirred in him just by standing beside him. If they’d been somewhere private, he would have kissed her—something he had intended to avoid doing again.
Fighting her brother in the lobby would have held fewer consequences than kissing her a second time. Today’s kiss had already changed their whole business relationship before they’d even started working at the ranch. He felt as if he had lost common sense and good judgment. He couldn’t understand the attraction or the effect she had on him. She didn’t want to feel it any more than he did, so what happened when they got near each other?
He needed to pull his wits together and not touch her. He’d told himself that before, more than once. Had he made a big mistake in hiring her and asking her to work with him at the ranch as Thane had asked him to do? He thought of Thane and his promise to his dying friend and knew that, no matter how difficult it would be, he had to keep that vow.
As they entered the private restaurant for club members only, a tall balding maître d’ greeted him.
“Good evening, Mr. Ralston. So glad to see you.”
“Ted, this is Ms. Kincaid.”
“I’m happy to meet you,” he said, smiling at Emily and turning again to Jake. “Your table is ready.” He picked up menus and led the way to a table in a quiet corner by a window with a view of Dallas against the setting sun. They had passed a piano player, who was playing quiet music in the background.
