The Danforths: Wesley, Ian & Imogene

He may as well have been pulling on the nipples of her breasts from the sensation that suddenly zipped to their sensitive tips. It had sent a jolt right through her. Unfortunately, her body’s reaction only proved she had a lot of nervous energy to work off so maybe going to the fair was not a bad idea.

“And there’s no reason for you not to go, unless…”

She lifted a brow. “Unless what?”

“Unless you don’t think you can handle me.”

Jasmine frowned. Truthfully, she doubted she could handle him, but she would never let him know that. She had learned the hard way to never let anyone know her weaknesses. “You’re nothing to handle, Wesley,” she lied, meeting his gaze.

His smile widened and he leaned closer and whispered, “Prove it.”

She blinked wondering how such a thing could be proven. Evidently he was used to women seducing him. To him this was all a game, a game that he knew the rules to and was well versed at playing.

Jasmine sighed, not able to think straight with such a gorgeous set of hazel eyes staring at her. She wondered if she would regret her decision in the morning.

“All right,” she said standing. “Just for tonight, we’ll call a truce and have some fun. But tomorrow it’s back to work as usual.”

Wesley chuckled and decided not to tell her that once she began playing with him, work would never be the same again.

Moments later they were walking out of the coffeehouse. “We’ll go in my car and I’ll bring you back here afterward to get yours,” Wesley said, as they stepped into the parking lot.

Jasmine nodded as he led her toward his car. Tonight he was driving the Corvette again.

He unlocked the passenger car door for her and she slipped into the smooth leather seat. She immediately tugged her skirt down when she noted his gaze drifted to her exposed thighs and legs.

“Thanks and you can close the door now,” she said, when he continued to stand there.

“All right,” he said, meeting her gaze once more before closing the door. He rounded the hood and opened the driver’s door to get in. “So how long have you lived in Savannah?”

She glanced over at him. “For eight years, ever since college. I came here to attend Savannah State and my father decided to accept a position at the hospital to be near me.”

Wesley nodded. “Dr. James Carmody, head of orthopedics?” When he’d first found out her name, he had wondered if she was related to the doctor. Carmody wasn’t a common name in these parts.

She raised a brow. “Yes, you know him?”

“We’ve met,” Wesley said, backing up the car and heading toward the expressway. “We’ve run into each other at several social functions.” He glanced over at her. “I’ve also met your mother and your sisters before but I never knew the doctor had a third daughter.”

Jasmine turned and met his gaze when she again remembered the conversation she’d had with her stepmother earlier. “You met my stepmother and stepsisters. Biologically, I’m my father’s only child and although he’s never legally adopted my stepsisters, they find it very convenient to use my father’s last name.”

Wesley nodded and remembered the woman in the locket was not the woman he’d met who’d tried throwing her two daughters at him. Evidently there was no love lost between Jasmine, her stepmother and stepsisters, Wesley thought, as he kept his gaze on the road. He decided to file that information away just in case he needed to use it later.

“So where are you from originally?” he decided to ask her.

“I was born in Louisiana and lived there until my mother died when I was nine. The memories of my mother’s death were too much for my father, so he transferred to a hospital in L.A. It was there that he met my stepmother and they married when I turned sixteen.”

Jasmine didn’t ask him about his background since she’d heard the story already. Although he hadn’t had a family to call his own in the past, he definitely had one now with the Danforths. They claimed him as part of their family and according to Ronnie, the Danforths were very protective of him…just as much as he was of them.

The conversation between them came to an end. In a way she preferred the silence and took a moment to appreciate the night. There were stars in the sky and a full moon overhead and since they were close to the Atlantic coast, she could smell the ocean, and with the window down she could pick up the scent of the wildflowers in bloom. Spring was her most favorite time of the year.

It was a beautiful night, and a part of her was grateful to Wesley for taking her away…even if he had an ulterior motive in doing so. She smiled. Tonight he intended to pick her brain instead of letting her pick someone else’s.

“The fair doesn’t look crowded,” Wesley said, breaking into Jasmine’s thoughts when they had reached the fair grounds.

As he pulled into a parking space she immediately picked up the scent of hot dogs, cooked onions and popcorn. “Probably because tomorrow is a school day. They must get most of their business on the weekends.”

Wesley grinned. “That’s good since it means no long lines.” He turned off the car’s ignition and turned to her. “Come on, let’s have fun.”

Four hours later an exhausted Jasmine felt tired and drained as they made it back to Wesley’s car. She had never realized that having fun could sap a person of all their energy.

“Are you sure it will be all right for my car to stay at the coffeehouse all night? I’d hate to return in the morning to find it’s been towed away,” she was barely able to get out the words she felt so worn out. All she could do was slip into the car when he opened the door. Moments later when she heard the sound of the ignition, she decided to relax with her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. There was no way she could drive home tonight and appreciated Wesley for offering to take her directly home.

“I’m positive since the coffeehouse stays open all night. I’ll call Ian when I get home to let him know it’s there.”

“Thanks, and thanks for tonight. I had so much fun and the roller-coaster ride was wonderful. I really needed to scream.”

He raised a brow as he lowered the volume on the CD player. “You needed to scream?”

A smile touched her lips. “Yes. My stepmother got on my last nerve earlier today and I’ve been wanting to scream ever since.”

Suddenly Wesley’s body ached at the thought of another method he could have used to make her scream. He had been too aware of Jasmine tonight. And he was even more aware of her now. Even the sound of her breathing as she sat next to him with her eyes close and her head thrown back, was a total turn-on. His hands tightened on the steering wheel when he remembered how she’d all but jumped into his lap during the ride through the haunted house. She had felt so good in his arms.

“You got a busy day tomorrow?” he asked.

When he came to a traffic light, he watched as she slowly moved her head and opened her eyes to look at him. “I don’t have to go into the office but I have a number of personal chores and errands to do. So I’d appreciate it if you let the shadow thing rest for a day.”

He chuckled as he moved his gaze back to the road when the traffic light changed. The thought of not seeing her tomorrow bothered him more than it should have. “I’ll think about it. Besides, you’ll need me to take you to the coffeehouse tomorrow to get your car.”

“No, thanks. I can manage. I’ll just ask Ronnie to take me.”

His gaze flickered back to her for a quick moment. “Ronnie?”

“Yes, Veronica Strongman, a co-worker and good friend.”

Wesley released a deep breath, one he wasn’t aware that he’d been holding. At first he had assumed Ronnie was a male and he didn’t want to acknowledge the quick stab of jealousy at the thought she was involved with someone. But did she have a man in her life? It was something he’d wondered about since meeting her. Now was as good a time as any to find out.

“What about your boyfriend? Can’t he take you to pick it up?”

She chuckled like the question had amused her. “That’s not a possibility since I don’t have a boyfriend. I don’t believe in dating.”

She’d said the words with such a firm conviction that Wesley immediately believed her. “Why don’t you believe in dating?” he asked more than mildly curious.

“Mainly to keep peace in my family since it seems my stepsisters have a tendency to want anything I have, and they have proven in the past that a boyfriend is no different.”

He was glad the car had come to a complete stop for a train so he could look over at her. “One of your sisters took your boyfriend?”

Even as tired as she was, Jasmine couldn’t help but grin at the look of shock on Wesley’s face. “Yes, they’ve done so a couple of times, although now as I look back, they were doing me favors. Especially with one man I had planned to marry by the name of Paul Sanders. But still, it was just the principle of the thing.”

Wesley shook his head. Evidently, in addition to there not being any love lost between Jasmine and her stepsisters, there wasn’t any loyalty, either. “But why would they do something like that?”

“Because neither of them feel I’m deserving of anything, especially a little love and happiness.” She wondered why she was even sharing this information with Wesley. She was obviously more tired than she had thought to be talking so freely about an issue that had caused her such pain two years ago. The only other person who knew about the strained relationship between her stepmother and stepsisters was Ronnie.

“Why didn’t you tell your stepmother so she—”

Jasmine cut off his question with outright laughter. “She’s the one who orchestrated the entire thing. My fiancé was an attorney and we had set a date to marry. It had really bothered my stepmother from the first that Paul had shown interest in me and not her darling daughters. One day I left to go out of town and she arranged for me to walk in and catch him and Alyssa in a very compromising situation when I returned. I had to applaud my stepmother for her cunning and boo Paul for his weakness. I broke our engagement and walked out the house that day thinking they deserved each other. That’s the same day I moved out.”

He nodded. “Are Alyssa and Paul still together?”

“No, that happened over two years ago. Alyssa decided that she needed a richer husband than an attorney and has since shifted her sights on greener pastures.”

Wesley shook his head, thinking that if he lived to be the ripe old age of one hundred, he still wouldn’t be able to figure out the workings of a female mind. Moments later, he pulled into Jasmine’s apartment building and brought the car to a stop. “Are you sure you don’t need me to take you to get your car tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’m positive,” she said, deciding it was best to get out of the car and go inside now that she’d become awake and her awareness of him had doubled. But for some reason, she couldn’t move and for an endless moment their gazes met and held.

“Thanks again for tonight. I’ll probably sleep like a baby, I’m so exhausted,” she said quietly.

He nodded, doubting he would sleep at all no matter how tired he was. “You’re welcome, and I had fun, too.”

Wesley knew what he wanted to do as he stared at the tumbled mass of braids on her head, the deep darkness of her eyes and the fullness of her lips. This wasn’t a dream like he’d had the other night. This was the real thing and they were together, sitting close and their mouths were just inches apart.

Oh, what the hell, he thought as a wave of longing washed over him. He leaned in closer to capture her mouth, knowing he needed to taste her just as much as he needed to breathe.

The moment his mouth connected to hers, a rush of heated desire took over and he slipped his tongue into her mouth as easily as anything he’d ever done. There hadn’t been any hesitation; just anticipation for the sweet, sensual taste he’d known awaited him.

Red-hot sensations poured through his bloodstream. He seemed incapable of getting enough of her taste and the little moans emitting from deep in her throat indicated she felt the same way. Her arms reached over and wrapped around his neck, locking his mouth to hers…as if he would go anywhere else. He was right where he wanted to be.

He knew that from this moment on, he would continue to have wonderful dreams about her mouth but never again would he have to wonder about the flavor. It was just as he’d thought, spicy hot with a rich blend of passion and a dose of rapture, of the toe-curling, quick-arousal kind. The interior of the car oozed with sexual chemistry and he was more aware of her than any woman he had ever known. Tonight, right now, control was not an issue—satisfaction was, and feasting on her mouth was giving him satisfaction of the most rewarding kind.

Moments later, when he finally pulled his mouth away, he heard her sigh of disappointment and it matched his groan of frustration. He leaned back against the seat feeling boneless and weak, but two hundred percent gratified. He wondered what were his chances of ever taking her in the back seat of his other cars. Maybe the Mercedes. Just the thought made him aware of just how much he wanted her. He might think differently in the morning after he got his head back on straight, but now, this very minute, he wanted her with a passion that was totally consuming him.

He glanced over at her. She had her eyes closed as she tried to regulate her breathing. He watched as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him and said. “That should not have happened, Wesley.”

Somehow he found enough strength to shrug his shoulders. “But it did.”

She nodded. There was nothing else for her to do but to acknowledge it was true. “We can’t let it happen again.”

He squinted, wondering whom she was trying to convince? Him or her? “Is that how you feel?” he asked, wondering if there was a way they could control such a thing from happening again.

She shook her head. “No, that’s not how I feel, since I can’t deal with my feelings right now. But that’s what I think. We don’t like each other. I’m your enemy. I won’t stop trying to find out information about Abraham Danforth, if that’s what tonight was all about.”

He stared at her. It was probably a good idea if he returned her locket and never saw her again because although she wasn’t dealing with her feelings, he was. Emotions he didn’t know he had were slamming through him.

“Tonight had nothing to do with Abraham,” he said, more frustrated with himself than with her. He scowled. Hell, tonight should have been about Abraham. Her obsession with finding out information to use against Abraham Danforth was the main reason they had met and why he was shadowing her every day.

“So you won’t give up?” he asked, but he already knew what her response would be.

“No.”

“Then I’ll continue to shadow you, but I will give you a reprieve tomorrow since I have to make a short trip to Brunswick anyway. But tonight was about us, Jasmine and not Abraham. And whether something like that kiss will happen again is up to us.”

“We need to keep our relationship on a business level, Wesley. We can’t have it both ways.”

Without waiting for him to say anything else, Jasmine quickly opened the car door and got out, leaving Wesley sitting in the car thinking of her parting remark.

Five

This shouldn’t be happening.

Jasmine decided for the umpteenth time that day when her mind turned once again to Wesley. She had gone to bed last night with him on her mind; she had dreamed about him, and since awakening, her thoughts would drift to him again and again.

She had done most of her errands; had shopped for groceries, paid her bills online, and had checked in with her boss regarding her assignments for the remainder of the week. Still, she had felt the relentless reminders of the evening she and Wesley had shared at the country fair and the kiss they had indulged in when he’d brought her home.

That had been some kiss. It had heated her insides to such a degree that last night, when she had slipped beneath her cool sheets, her body’s temperature had warmed the bed linens. And in spite of the little voice inside of her that warned her not to put much stock in the kiss they’d shared, she was putting stock into it.

Every time she thought of the way his mouth had expertly taken hers, kissing her in a way she had never been kissed before, she was convinced that for just a little while, Wesley had completely forgotten she was the enemy. For that brief moment she had not been a woman he couldn’t trust; a woman he thought was hell-bent on bringing turmoil to the lives of people he considered family.

Even as a nagging voice inside of her reminded her that she and Wesley could not take their relationship any further, she couldn’t stop the ripple of pleasure that escalated up her body. For just a little while she wanted to enjoy the memories they’d made last night. She wanted to relive the feel of his hand holding hers as they walked around the fair visiting various booths and the warmth of his breath against her neck when they sat close together in the numerous rides they had tried out.

While they’d watched a performer stick a flaming torch down his throat, Wesley stood so close to her. Jasmine could still smell traces of his aftershave—a masculine and spicy scent he always wore. And last but not least, she could not forget riding the miniature train into the haunted house. Something had grabbed her in the darkness and without thinking, she had practically landed in Wesley’s lap. For some reason, she had felt safe being that close to him. The ache that had developed from that encounter was still there, low in her belly.

Jasmine sighed deeply, knowing that she had to be realistic. But she desperately needed a day off from being levelheaded. She wanted to forget that she and Wesley were not supposed to get along. For once she didn’t want to be sensible. For just a little while longer she wanted to be a woman who could truly appreciate a fine man.

As she put away the last of her groceries, her sanity finally returned…at least some of it. She still couldn’t erase memories of their kiss and the feel of his mouth, hungry, seductive, expertly tasting her and stroking a need deep within in.

Sighing deeply, Jasmine glanced down at her watch. She would be meeting an old high-school friend who was passing through town later that day for dinner. She hoped by the time she returned back home she would have sobered up and erased thoughts of Wesley from her mind completely.

“So what’s going on with you, Wes?”

The intensity in Jake Danforth’s brown eyes reflected both curiosity and concern. Jake knew him better than anyone and if Jake could detect that something was bothering him then he was really in bad shape.

“Why do you ask?” he responded, leaning back on the sofa and meeting Jake’s gaze. He had come straight to Jake’s home for dinner after returning from Brunswick. Larissa had taken their son Peter upstairs for his bath and he and Jake were sitting back relaxing after enjoying the delicious meal Larissa had prepared.

“Mainly because you seem preoccupied about something,” Jake said. “I talked to Ian today and he mentioned that you whisked Jasmine Carmody away from the coffeehouse before Uncle Abraham arrived.”

Wesley nodded. “Yes, and although I’m sure Abraham would have been able to handle an impromptu interview from her, I felt he didn’t necessarily need the hassle from a reporter hell-bent on digging into his personal life.”

“Well, I’m sure he knew that sort of thing would happen once he decided to run for public office,” Jake said, taking a sip of his beer.

Wesley knew that was true but that didn’t mean Abraham had to put up with Jasmine’s staunch determination to see what dirt she could uncover. Exasperated he checked his watch. It was getting late. He had stayed over at Jake’s place longer than he’d planned. A part of him wondered what Jasmine was doing about now. Was she still up or had she gone to bed already? He didn’t want to admit it but he had missed shadowing her today and actually looked forward to resuming his routine tomorrow.

“I’m going to call it a night, Jake. Don’t forget next week’s poker game. Think you can pull yourself away from your family for a few hours?” Wesley asked smiling. Jake had become a regular family man and Wesley could clearly see the love he had for his wife and son.

Jake chuckled. “It will be hard to leave Larissa and Peter, but I’ll be there.”

On the drive home, Wesley’s mind was consumed with thoughts of Jasmine. Something inside of him had stirred last night when she’d shared with him the situation involving her stepmother and stepsisters. He felt fortunate for the close relationship and special bond that he had with Harold, Miranda, Jake and all the other Danforths.

A smile broke onto his features when he thought that no matter what the situation involving Jasmine’s family affairs, there was no doubt in his mind that she was handling things the way she saw fit. She was too much of a headstrong female not to.

He remembered how she had met his gaze head-on, her eyes had filled with all-fire anger, when he had announced that he would become her shadow. He had known then that if pushed hard enough she would come out scratching, and that she would be a worthy opponent, both in and out of the bedroom. A part of him was dying to see how he could unleash that fiery side of her in bed.

He sighed, wondering if Jasmine had cast some sort of spell on him. When it came to her, he was definitely not in full control of his senses. There was something about her that seemed to ignite his blood. Spending time with her last night at the country fair hadn’t helped matters.

Wearing a pullover blouse and skirt, her clothing had definitely complemented her long, lithe, delectable curves and a few times he had wondered if he would be able to survive her proximity. Once or twice he had noticed her watching him and had wondered what she’d been thinking.

Even now he could picture her home, curled up in bed wearing something outrageously sexy, something that aroused him just thinking about it.

Wesley cursed beneath his breath when he was suddenly consumed with the need to talk to Jasmine, to hear her voice. He heaved a rough sigh when he picked up his cell phone and punched in the phone number he’d already memorized. Convincing himself that he was only checking up on her to make sure she had stuck to her plans to take care of personal errands and not stick her nose anywhere it didn’t belong, he listened as her phone rang.

He felt his body tense when she didn’t answer. He was about to end the call when he heard her pick up the phone.

“Hello?” Her voice sounded out of breath.

Wesley felt his body relax. “Where were you?” he asked, too harshly even for his own ears.

“And what’s it to you?” she answered smartly.

Wesley smiled. It seemed that she hadn’t lost that sweet-tempered, mild-mannered disposition of hers. “I was just checking to make sure you got through today without getting into trouble.”

He heard her unladylike snort. “If you mean did I do any checking into Abraham Danforth then the answer is no. But you may as well know that I plan to pay him a visit first thing tomorrow. There’s a rumor floating around that someone tried to sabotage his computer, which I’m sure you already know about.”

Wesley frowned, wondering where she had heard that from and not liking the fact that she was close to the truth. But there was no way he would let her know that. “Abraham’s computer merely picked up some sort of virus. That can happen to any computer. Besides, that was weeks ago. I would think that was old news.”

“Yes, but it has come up again that someone has it in for him and I want to know who.” Jasmine decided not to tell Wesley about the phone call she had received from her boss, Manny, indicating someone had called the newspaper with a tip that stated the truth about Abraham Danforth’s true character would be revealed soon. Of course Manny wanted them to be the one to do the headline story, no matter what it was.