The Darling Jade Page 6

  Our bed—the image was utterly unexpected, incredibly vivid. Her lips parted in shock and then anger, Jade spun away from his laughing eyes. Even for a joke, that was outrageous. He was impossible!

  Shaking her hair back from her face, she pretended to inspect the eggplants, picked one up at random. Its glossy skin was as cool as her fingers were warm. She was burning up, glowing all over—sunburn, she told herself firmly, setting the eggplant down again. She moved on to the Brussels sprouts and then the carrots, fingering the packages intently, taking her time as her cheeks slowly cooled. Another minute and it would be safe to look up again. The jerk! 'Do you want carrots, Zan?' she murmured finally, her eyes downcast.

  'Couldn't live without them.' Beside her, he dropped a cucumber into the cart, then moved away again.

  Jade stared at the carrots. She would have to get used to Zan's needling. Obviously he was just a joker. As long as she reacted, he would continue to tease. She would just have to learn to keep her cool, that was all. She picked out a bag with small carrots—more likely to be tender—and turned, only to bump into Zan's broad chest as he loomed beside her.

  'Did lover boy ever tell you that your eyes turn the colour of fine old romaine when you're angry, Jade?' he murmured huskily, his lips at her ear.

  Jade drew a deep, a very deep, breath. Keep your cool. If she could handle a class of fourteen-year-old barbarians, surely she could handle one overgrown lunatic. Couldn't she? Turning to face him, she opened her eyes and blinked. Their noses were practically touching. His lashes were nearly as long as her own. 'No, I don't believe he ever did, Zan,' she drawled carefully.

  Thick eyebrows jumped gently. Below them, his clear eyes gleamed with mischief. 'Well, I don't think I'll tell you that either,' he decided softly. 'You might get mad.' The straight line of his lips quivered as he studied her blazing eyes. 'In the meantime, what's your favourite flavour of ice cream—lime sherbet?'

  'Butter almond, and what does it matter?' she snapped, leaning back against his encircling arm. Suddenly she had a splitting headache.

  Zan didn't bother to answer that as he let her go, his strange eyes gleaming in satisfaction. 'Fate,' he murmured obscurely, and wandered off towards the frozen dessert section.

  Zan was silent on the trip back. Silent with gleaming eyes as they passed a runner, stoically silent when Jade ground the gears shifting down for a stop sign. Golden brows knotted into a thoughtful line, he leaned back, relaxed and blessedly quiet, and let her drive. Jade rolled down a window and let her hair blow, her aching head cooling in the sweet evening breeze. She was just hungry and tired, that was all. She'd help him in with the groceries and then run for it. She'd done her duty for today. She took a deep breath.

  They'd missed the sunset. Beyond the fort, the west glowed soft rose fading to lilac as they drove down the hill. Sky and water still held a -lingering flash of quicksilver, but the land had lost its light. Buildings across the harbour were etched blue-black and jagged against the pale sky.

  Jade let Zan off at the door with the groceries, then drove on to park the car. Returning through the dusk, she stopped to stare out across the harbour, her eyes tracing the lighted arc of the bridge. She sighed, her heart suddenly easy, and stepped inside.

  Zan had already ferried the bags to the kitchen. His rough head bent, he stirred something on the counter as ice tinkled. Turning, he held out a glass to her. 'For you, sweet. It's been a long day.' He smiled warmly.

  Jade took it automatically and frowned down at the wedge of lime floating in her glass. She should be going now.

  'You do drink gin and tonic, don't you, Jade?' he asked huskily. 'It's great for malaria.'

  Smiling, she nodded and took a sip. Tart and cold, it sparkled down her throat, bringing a flush of answering warmth. She took another sip—so good! She would drink this and leave. 'Want me to put away the groceries, Zan?' she asked practically.

  He shook his head. 'I'll do that, after I get the charcoal started. Why don't you make the salad?'

  Her head came up at that. Did he mean . . . ? She studied him nervously. Surely he didn't think she was staying to supper? Looking back at her, his smile was guileless, but above it the pale eyes were suddenly wary. She shook her head decisively. 'No, Zan, I'm not eating here tonight, thank you, if that's what you mean.' It was none too soon to draw a firm line between their business together and her own private life, though the shopping trip had seemed to blur the distinction somehow.

  His brows twitched mildly. 'Of course you are. I've worked you hard today and now I'll feed you.' He turned away, as if the matter were settled, and scrounged in a grocery bag.

  Jade brushed her hair back angrily. 'Zan—no! I'll feed myself. Later.' She tossed down the rest of her drink, and clicked the glass down on the counter beside him.

  'Jade.' His voice had an edge to it now that she hadn't heard before. Zan seemed to hear it too, because he stopped suddenly. Setting out charcoal lighter and matches, he turned to face her, his face elaborately patient. 'Look, Jade, you gave me breakfast this morning. Why can't I give you supper tonight?' He reached out absently to brush a curl off her cheek.

  Suddenly she was furious, her temper flaring out of all proportion. 'As I recall it, Zan,' she snapped, 'you took breakfast—I didn't give it to you. It was blackmail, remember?'

  His jaw tightened ominously, and his eyes narrowed as he took a step towards her. 'All right, Jade—I took it,' he snarled. 'And now, by God, you'll take supper from me!' His good hand clenched at his side as if he were fighting the urge to grab and shake her.

  'No, I won't!' she said' deliberately, scowling up at him, her eyes blazing.

  And Zan's eyes were like ice, cold and clear in his granite face. They locked with her own, colliding with an almost physical force, and suddenly Jade couldn't have looked away if she'd wanted to. And she didn't. Now was the time to assert herself. She might have to work for Zan, but she was damned if she'd let him push her around! She bit her lip, her eyes wide and determined.

  But slowly, Zan's face was changing above her as lines crinkled out from the corners of the grey eyes. The line of his lips jumped once, then straightened again. 'You know, Jade, I've warned you twice now. Keep sticking your chin out like that and you're going to get what's coming to you,' he mocked softly.

  That was truer than he'd ever know, she thought wryly, licking her lips, feeling the tension beginning to ebb between them. 'Well, if you'd sit down when we fight, Zan, I wouldn't have to sprain my neck glaring up at you,' she pointed out, trying to resume her glare. But she'd lost the look somehow.

  'Ho, no.' Zan shook his head. 'I'm no fool. You've got me at enough of a disadvantage, already.' Straightening, he rubbed the back of his neck where the knot of the sling rested. His lips quirked up. 'From the way we're fighting, you'd think this was the last steak in the world, Jade, and we're fighting over who will get it, not whether you'll consent to eat some!' He shrugged and turned to pick up the lighter again. 'You're sure you won't share it with me?'

  'Quite sure . . . thanks.' She smiled to take the sting out of her refusal.

  Stopping at the door to the patio, he smiled back at her. 'Well, sit down, then. It shouldn't take too long to cook it.' He stepped out into the dark.

  'Zan! I'm not—' Hissing in frustration, she followed him outside. 'I said I'm not having any!'

  Squatting over a Hibachi, Zan shook charcoal into it, his left hand awkward and slow. 'I heard you.' He fumbled with the cap of the charcoal lighter, swearing softly. 'Damn it, it's childproof! Jade?' He handed it to her absently, and stood up, towering above her suddenly.

  'Here!' She thrust it at him, glowering. There was a catch coming; she could feel it.

  He sprayed the fluid blithely over the Hibachi and stepped back, nudging her with him. A match flared, tracing a tiny blazing curve across the dusk. Flames leaped skyward with a soft whump.'

  'Zan....'

  Above her, his eyes flamed. Firelight and shadows played across the
hard planes of his face, turning it to a wild and reckless mask. The face of a stranger. But the low voice was smooth. 'I heard you, Jade. You don't want any? Fine. But I like my steak cut up, and I'll need you for that.' Turning, he walked inside.

  Speechless, she trailed after him. In the kitchen he was stacking the meat by the freezer. She stared at the pile of packages. It would all need cutting up, every bit of it. The inconsiderate—she bit her lip. She would have to keep her temper. 'Zan, do you have any skewers?' she asked, coming to stand beside him.

  'Why?' He flicked a glance at her, his eyebrows bunched.

  'I'm going to introduce you to a new dish tonight— shish-kebabs.' She could cut up his meat and go home. Come to think of it, she should chop up all his steaks now, before he froze them.

  'Jade.' There was no nonsense left in his low voice as he turned to her. 'Mix yourself a drink, get out of the way, and go sit down. Once I've put this stuff away, I'll make my salad. Then I'll put the steak on. You should be out of here in ... an hour and a half. Now shoo!' He gave her a gentle shove.

  She stalked to the patio door and stood there, glowering out at the night, counting to ten, then twenty, then a hundred ... A cool, salty breeze lifted her hair, cooling her hot face. The coals in the Hibachi were beginning to glow now as the flames died. She chewed her lip. A fishing boat chugged out the channel, its nets and outriggers webbed black against the darkening sky. Sighing, she turned.

  Zan was hacking at a cucumber, his face set. As she watched, half of it rolled off the chopping block. Dropping the knife, Zan dived for it and missed. It hit the floor with a moist thump. 'Damn!' he said fervently.

  Jade sighed again. 'Okay, Zan, give.' Stepping forward, she held out her hand.

  'Hmm?' He frowned at her.

  'Give me the knife, and fix me a drink, will you?'

  His grin flashed for a second, then vanished. 'You've got yourself a deal, sweet,' he said casually.

  'So, any more wine?' Zan lifted the bottle enquiringly, his eyes smiling.

  Jade shook her head lazily. 'I'll just finish what I have, thanks.' She pushed her plate aside and leaned back in her chair, smiling at him sleepily. Her lashes brushed her cheeks for a moment. She was full of good food, good wine, excellent talk, and now she just wanted to float away. It was like being a child again. Someone should pick her up and carry her off to bed ... A feather-light touch brushed her cheek and her lashes fluttered open. Zan stood beside her.

  'Come on, sleepyhead,' he said softly. 'Let's have our coffee by the fire.'

  Yawning, she followed him down the three steps into the living room. He had set their cups and saucers along the raised hearth. She curled up on the nearest sofa and he stretched out at her feet, leaning back against the stone bank, watching her lazily. Behind him, the lire he had started just before they sat down to eat whispered and crackled. Leaping red light silhouetted the sharp lines of his cheek and jaw, gleamed in the edges of his hair.

  Through her contentment, a vague uneasiness began to prickle as the coffee roused her. She glanced around. 'This is a beautiful place, Zan. How did you find it?'

  'Mona found it. I just meant to rent a house here, while I did my writing on location—as I usually do. She suggested we buy something, use it as we please, and try to turn a profit.' He drank again. 'The girl's got a genius for real estate. So I went along—sight unseen.' His eyes swept the room and returned to her face. 'I'm glad I did.'

  And where was the charming blonde who should be sitting here in her place? Jade wondered. To wonder was to ask tonight, and she turned to study him. 'Where is Mona?'

  Zan smiled wryly. 'Off in Europe cavorting—and breaking hearts. All but her own, I hope.' He looked grim for a second. His brows shrugged and he drank again. He glanced up at her. 'And what about Freddie boy? Why is he cavorting in Greece?'

  Jade shifted uneasily, disliking the sudden jeer in his voice. It was a disturbing contrast to the warm, easy voice he'd been using all evening. She ignored the tone. 'Fred is assistant supervisor on an archaeological dig, over there. They're affiliated with a university, and some of his best students go along each summer as well. He's been doing it every summer for as long as I've known him.' She sighed softly. At her feet, Zan stirred restlessly, and she set down her coffee cup. 'I ought to be going.'

  Warm and slow, his gaze moved across her face. 'Wait a minute till I finish my coffee, and I'll walk you home.' He rubbed the back of his neck, stretching again.

  But Jade shook her head. 'Not necessary, Zan. It's safe to walk the streets here at night.'

  Zan's eyes gleamed. 'Dawn's the dangerous time, hmm?'

  She scowled as she caught his meaning, then laughed. 'Brute! Will you ever forgive me?'

  He shook his head slowly, eyes laughing. 'Never forgive; never, ever, forget—that's my motto, Jade. But if you want to try to make amends, there's something you could do.'

  'What?'

  'Pull this sling over my head. I want to rest my neck a moment.' Moving across the floor, he leaned back against the sofa beside her and bowed his head.

  Jade started down at his powerful neck and shoulders, her nerves stirring strangely. Why did he keep reminding her of Jack? They weren't at all alike . . . 'What do you want me to do, Zan, untie the knot?'

  'Then how would I ever tie it back again?' He shook his head. 'Just lift it over my head, sweet.'

  'All right.' She pulled at it tentatively. It was heavy, with his cast dragging it down. She sat up, sliding her feet on to the floor on either side of him to brace herself. 'Okay, duck now.' He bowed his head and she slipped the knot over, her hands grazing his warm silky hair.

  'Aah!' Zan straightened and stretched luxuriously, groaning softly as he rotated his head. 'Thank you, sweet.' He rubbed the back of his neck again. 'Much better.'

  'It hurts?'

  'Doesn't feel too swift,' he admitted, dropping his hand slowly.

  'I'm sorry.' It seemed only natural to reach out and touch his thick, straight hair, following it slowly down his neck till it turned crisp and curly.

  Zan arched his neck slowly, pressing back against her hand. 'Mmm,' he purred.

  Jade put up her other hand and began to massage his shoulders gently. Groaning softly, he moved against her fingers. His pleasure was infectious. A slow, lazy warmth was spreading up her arms, rolling across her body in slow, hot waves. Her fingers tingled with the warm, hard feel of him, and her hands suddenly stopped as her eyes widened. What was she doing?

  Turning, he laid the cast across her lap. 'What's the matter, sweetheart? Didn't your mother even warn you about massaging strange men's necks?' A smile warmed his low voice now, but his eyes were watchful.

  Wide-eyed, trapped, Jade shook her head. 'She must have forgotten that one,' she murmured breathlessly.

  'Careless of her.' Zan's voice was like rough velvet now, rasping along her nerves, stirring fear as it had the first time she came here, and with the fear, a nameless anticipation.

  He leaned forward, his good hand combing up through her hair to cup the back of her head as he watched her eyes. His fingers whispered gently against her scalp, starting hot shivers tickling down her spine, waking her breasts to quivering attention. 'Jade?'

  'Mmm?' Staring into those clear eyes, she was half hypnotised.

  'You'll stay the night?' His voice stroked her, lazy and warm with promise.

  Jade blinked heavy lashes, trying to break the spell. 'Why?' she murmured. But that wasn't the right response, was it?

  Zan was laughing softly, his hand bending her head down so slowly, so inevitably towards his face. He stopped, his lips only inches from her trembling mouth. 'Why? Because it will be as fun as the day has been, sweet.' He leaned forward slowly, and their lips met.

  Warm and gentle, his mouth traced the shape of her lips, exploring them with a slow, searching sureness that set her soft skin quivering and moving to answer his touch. A sweet tingling warmth was spreading out from her mouth, down over her breasts and across
her stomach as his hot breath fanned her cheeks.

  Zan's hand tightened in her hair, pulling her closer, pressing her soft flesh against his hard hunger. Her own breath was coming now in short, warm gasps. Eyes closed, she could feel her heart pounding in the dark as his lips moved in a quicker rhythm now, no longer questioning, but demanding.

  Jade's eyes fluttered open. Against her face, Zan was a moving blur of brown skin, hazy gold. She leaned away from the kiss, but he followed her down till her head met the cushion. She gave a soft, hungry moan of pleasure against his mouth, and he groaned darkly and deepened the kiss in reply, bending her head back over his arm.

  Slowly Jade shook her head, but Zan moved with her, using the movement to add a new rhythm to the kiss, swinging her face slowly back and forth with the weight of his mouth. Dizzily, she opened her eyes again. This had to stop, and it had to stop now! Any later would be too late.

  She found her hands buried in his hair, dragged them across his cheeks and down his neck to wedge them against the wall of his chest. Beneath his warm shirt she could feel his heart slamming urgently as his breath rasped her face. She pushed out, trying to straighten her arms. There was a brief check in his rhythm, but then the arm around her shoulders tightened and the kiss pressed on. Jade pushed again. The rhythm slowed, and then his mouth stilled against hers. His lashes grazed her cheek as his eyes opened.

  Fighting the urge to pull him closer, she pushed instead. Zan sighed against her face, finished the kiss with gentle deliberation, and broke it to lean his forehead against her brow.

  Too close to focus on, his grey eyes were a blur. Their lashes tangled as she blinked. His good arm was wrapped around her waist now, holding her close.

  He sighed again. 'Fun's not a good enough reason, hmm?' he asked huskily. There wag a note of laughter in the breathless voice, as if he'd run a long way to be amused by her.