CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

T HE G RANDVIEW WAS BUZZING WITH ITS USUAL CONTROLLED CHAOS when Jenny returned. Carpenters working, deliveries arriving, FedEx and UPS fighting to make their way up the narrow road that led to the hotel at the top of the hill.

Jenny glanced around, but saw no sign of Cain, who undoubtedly was working. You didn't make the kind of money Cain was worth by being a slacker.

Jenny spent the first couple of hours finishing the lists of kitchen and bar supplies that still needed to be ordered. Then Millicent showed up, and they continued making plans for the grand-opening party. Which was turning into more work than either of them had anticipated, but was also exciting and something they were both looking forward to.

She and Millicent were getting along much better than she had expected. Cain's proprietary attitude toward Jenny made it clear where his affections lay—at least for the time being. Millicent seemed resigned. Or maybe she was just planning to wait until Cain began looking for a replacement.

Jenny felt a soft pang at the notion. She sighed. Whatever happened, happened. In the meantime, she was going to enjoy the time she spent with Cain.

By late afternoon, Millicent had left for the Airbnb she was renting at the edge of town while the hotel was being completed, an old, remodeled wood-frame house built in the early 1900s. Jenny wondered if there were any ghosts in the house, but didn't think it was a good idea to ask.

Her thoughts went to the murder in room 10. She needed to speak to Nell, hear what the older woman had to say. Cain had asked Jenny to join him and Nell for supper, but Jenny didn't want to bring up the subject in front of Cain.

At five o'clock, she went back to the Copper Star to check on the Sunday-evening crowd, but the weather was turning bad, and as the fall days shortened, the customers began to thin. The weekend was over, the hotel only half full. The crime scene had been released, but so far no one had been booked into the new wing of the hotel.

Unfortunately, that would soon change. The end of October was the annual Jerome Halloween Party, the biggest day of the year for the tiny town. The hotel was completely booked—except for room 10. Everyone from miles around would be showing up dressed as ghosts and goblins.

This year, Jenny wasn't looking forward to it.

Satisfied everything was running smoothly, she went upstairs to her suite. The door had been replaced after Ryder's attack, and the room was clean, everything back in order. Still, she felt uneasy whenever she was in there. Maybe she should move to a different room.

Or maybe not. No way was she letting a creep like Ryder Vance intrude into her life, her world. She'd stay right where she was, she decided, as she packed enough clean clothes to last a few days, extra makeup and toiletries that she could leave at the Grandview, then went in to shower and dress for her dinner with Cain and his grandmother.

Instead of her usual jeans and flannel shirt, she chose a black knit sheath dress accented with simple gold jewelry. A text message arrived just as she was ready to leave.

Cain's note said he would be picking her up. Good, she wouldn't have to haul her carry-on up the hill, hoping no one would see her heading for Cain's private elevator. Hurriedly putting on her heels, she descended the stairs to the lobby, then wheeled her bag through the door out to the sidewalk.

Cain was already there, his gorgeous Jag parked at the curb. He got out and came around to take her bag and open the door, looking magnificent in a navy sport coat and tan slacks.

"What happened to your pickup?" Jenny asked, ignoring the little leap her heart took as he settled her in the passenger seat.

"I have to go to my office in Scottsdale for a meeting in the morning. I had one of the ranch hands drive the Jag up and exchange it for the truck."

Jenny grinned. "Nothing like going first class."

Cain grinned back as he closed her door, walked around, and slid in behind the wheel. "A lesson I learned long ago."

He fired the engine, which purred like the jaguar the car was named for. In minutes, they were back at the hotel, up in Cain's suite. Jenny took a moment to put her clothes away in the guest room and bath.

"You look gorgeous," Cain said. Walking up behind her, he slid his arms around her waist, pushed her curls aside, and pressed his mouth against the nape of her neck. Heat slid low in her belly.

"I've been thinking about you all day." Another sexy kiss moistened the exposed skin on her shoulder. "Wanting you."

Jenny swallowed. "I've been too busy to want you."

His hand slid into the modest scooped neckline of the dress, into her lacy black bra to cup her breast. "How about now?" His fingers rubbed back and forth over her nipple, making it peak, making her stomach melt.

"Now . . . ? Now that's all I can think about."

He kept kissing her neck, nipping her earlobe. When she tried to turn around, he held her in place.

"Not yet," he said. "I've got something else in mind for you."

She could feel his hands roaming over her hips, sliding her black knit dress up around her waist. Jenny trembled.

Cain spotted her black-lace thong and groaned. "Oh, yeah," he said, pulling her back against him. One of his hands slid over her abdomen, into the top of her thong, and moved lower.

A little sound came from her throat as he stroked her with one hand, while his other hand caressed her breasts. She was hot all over, melting inside, damp and aching for him. His hard length pressed against her, and the heat fanned out, making her tremble.

"Tell me what you want."

This time she knew the answer. "I want you, Cain. I need you." It was insane. They were meeting his grandmother in minutes, and all she could think of was having him inside her.

"Let's see what we can do about that." He gently bit the nape of her neck. Then he was bending her over the arm of the leather sofa, sliding down her black-thong panties, urging her to step out of them. His zipper buzzed down, and he was nudging her legs apart, touching her, sliding deep inside. Her hunger was so intense a whimper came from her throat.

Cain gripped her hips and started to move, and little ripples of pleasure tore through her. He moved deeper, began to set up a rhythm, and an instant later, her body exploded in climax. Cain didn't stop, just held her in place and drove into her until she came again, before following her to release.

She was weak and shaky as he pulled her back against him, his arm locked around her waist to hold her up.

"Cain . . ." she whispered.

He eased her dress back into place, turned her into his arms, and kissed her the way she had wanted him to before.

He set her back far enough to look at her, must have read the satisfaction in her face.

"There's more where that came from," he said, smiling. "Just let me know."

Jenny laughed. "We're getting ready to meet your grandmother. I can't believe you did that."

"Believe it," Cain said, his smile widening. He kissed her one last time. "We'd better put ourselves back together. We're having supper up here tonight. My grandmother will be here any minute."

"Oh, my God." Jenny turned and raced for the bathroom. By the time she returned, Cain was waiting in the living room, his back to her, long legs splayed as he gazed out the windows.

He turned at her approach.

"I just realized . . . we . . . we didn't use a condom." She had meant to say it a little more tactfully, but the words just tumbled out.

"That's right," Cain said. "Those days are over. I got my test results back, and I'm fine, and I know you haven't been with a man since your husband. You're on the pill, right?"

Jenny's head spun. She frowned. "How did you know all that?" She remembered Nick Faraday, the detective who worked for Cain, and her features tightened. "Never mind. I think I know."

Cain walked over and drew her into his arms. "We're in this together, right? I hope you feel the same way."

Anger had her stepping back from him. "I understand why you had Faraday run a check on me, but don't you think digging into my sex life is going a little too far?"

"I needed to know."

"How would you like it if I did that to you? Dug into all your past affairs?"

"I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Fine. From now on, if you want to know something about me, all you have to do is ask."

"I already knew everything I needed to know about you before Faraday looked into your past."

"You did?"

"I knew you were honest and kindhearted. I knew you were smart. I knew I wanted you badly. I still do."

And then he kissed her, and Jenny was lost.

* * *

Cain left for Scottsdale early the following morning. He'd left Jenny sleeping, her curls spread over his pillow. Their supper the night before had been interesting, as he watched his grandmother and Jenny interact. Nell liked her. And Jenny liked Nell. They were easy together, as if they had known each other for years.

That was a good thing, Cain told himself. But he didn't want it to change the dynamics between him and Jenny. He wasn't sure where their relationship was headed. Hell, it had taken him a while just to admit they had one.

The truth was, they weren't just dating. There were expectations between them. Fidelity, first and foremost. Jenny expected it from Cain, and Cain expected it from Jenny.

That was a first for him. He usually spent time with women who preferred to remain unattached. Who accepted that either of them could see other people. Commitments were something he had shied away from. Somehow, with Jenny, it had just happened.

The weird part was he liked it.

Cain spent the morning in meetings in the Scottsdale office. He met with his CEO, as well as the president of the company and several company VPs. Barrett Enterprises was planning to acquire Titan Transport, which built heavy equipment geared to the mining industry. Titan would be a valuable asset to the company.

After a hard day, they broke for a catered supper in the conference room, then worked for two more hours. It was eight p.m. when the last meeting ended.

Cain drove the Jag toward his house on North Pima off Hualapai Road. The three-acre property, part of Pima Acres, was surrounded by desert, the house a flat-roofed, ultra-modern structure with walls of glass and very high ceilings. With an interior done in white and black with light and dark gray accents, it was a beautiful home. Unfortunately, it felt as if it belonged to another man.

Cain still wasn't sure why he'd bought it. Mostly because the woman he was seeing at the time had loved it. It came fully furnished, and he didn't want to spend more time shopping for something else.

As he pulled into the driveway, his headlights illuminated the tall glass windows in the living room, giving him a glimpse into the stark interior.

Cain pressed the button that opened one of the three-car garages and just sat there with the car idling, trying to work up the will to go in. He had meetings scheduled for tomorrow and the next day. There was no way around it.

With a sigh of resignation, he pulled the Jag into the garage and turned off the engine. The refrigerator would be fully stocked. The housekeeper would have a casserole ready to put in the oven. The place would be immaculately clean. No one would bother him.

No one would be waiting for him.

He liked it that way, he told himself. It would be a nice change from the problems at the ranch or the chaos at the Grandview.

But when he finally went inside, the house felt empty in a way he hadn't noticed before. When he went into his spacious bedroom, showered, and climbed into bed, he couldn't fall asleep. He kept thinking of Jenny. Worrying about her. A lot had been happening at the Copper Star. Bikers, ghosts, rattlesnakes. And murder. Was it all just coincidence?

If he could have convinced himself, Cain might have been able to sleep.