Her 24-Hour Protector(17)

Jenna was convinced he wasn’t telling her everything he knew about the history of that stone.

She suddenly felt scared and small. And stupid.

Like she used to as a kid.

Lex was right—she didn’t have normal touchstones. She’d never had them. She’d been born into a family that always led her to believe the same rules that applied to everyone else did not apply to them. They were the Rothchilds, special, above it all.

“Wow, you really do have a problem with my family.” She reached for her glass, took a deep sip of champagne, trying to hide her hurt. She’d be damned if she was going to let him see how badly he’d rattled her.

Guilt pinged through Lex.

He was lashing out at Jenna, making it personal, mostly because he was irritated with himself for being so damn attracted to this woman. For being weak. For falling under her bewitching spell.

He moved uncomfortably in his chair and suddenly felt the hard shape of The Tears of the Quetzal in his pocket. His pulse quickened at the reminder he still had it. What the hell had possessed him to take it? He had to get it back into lockup ASAP. Never mind Jenna and her games—if he lost a piece of evidence, a rock worth millions, he’d tank his own career all by himself.

The ring began to burn a hole into his conscience—and into his pocket—and an insane thought suddenly struck him. What if the ring had made him pocket it?

That was absurd. He was losing it. His body temperature elevated as the urgency to get out of this place and return the darn thing wound him tighter.

“You read me wrong, Lex,” Jenna said sweetly, feeling anything but. He’d taken a mean jab at her, below the belt and personal. And now in her mounting anger, Jenna was growing even more determined to win. Because now this went straight to the core of her self-image, her secret vulnerabilities. There was just no way she was going to accept she couldn’t seduce this man. And she sure wasn’t going to leave here empty-handed, either. She was going to get the information her daddy wanted.

“I want Candace’s homicide solved as much as you do, Lex. But I wasn’t thinking about the investigation at all when I arranged the auction. I was thinking solely about charity, and entertainment. It’s what I do—entertain. It’s my job, and I’m good at it. And you saw what kind of money I raised.” She smiled flirtatiously. “So why can’t you just accept that and put business aside and enjoy a meal with me on behalf of your orphans?”

His gaze held hers, and the air between them began to vibrate with hot, dark tension. Something tightened in Jenna’s stomach. Apparently he wasn’t immune to her after all. And she felt a hot rush of pleasure. It fueled her determination. Heat began to pulse low in her belly, a shimmering excitement, anticipation welling inside her as she met the intensity in his sparkling, moss-green eyes. Right now, in the candlelight, they gleamed with the same hints of color she knew existed in the facets of The Tears of the Quetzal, if you held the stone just right. A strange, overly powerful sensation, came over her. It was so bizarre, so potent, she felt dizzy. Goosebumps broke out over her arms, and her heart began racing.

“Jenna? Are you all right?”

“I…um, yeah. I…I’m fine.” She laughed lightly, unconvincingly. “For a second, I just felt as though…” Some kind of ghost had walked over my grave. “It was nothing. I just felt a little…dizzy. That’s all.” She blew out air, placing a hand on her chest, gathering herself. “To tell you the truth, I was thinking about The Tears of the Quetzal.”

His brow lowered instantly, and his eyes sharpened forcefully. “What about it?”

“I—I was wondering where you’re keeping it? Where is it now?”

He leaned back, studying her, the pulse at his jawline throbbing. He looked suddenly edgy. Dark and dangerous. “I thought you said no business. No more games.”

She met his gaze, unflinching. God, he really was gorgeous. Suddenly she couldn’t get the idea of sleeping with him out of her head. All she could think about was wrapping her legs around him, feeling his body against hers…inside hers. It was like she was possessed by a force beyond her control. “You know what I think, Lex,” she whispered, her voice going husky as she leaned forward, showing him her cleavage, watching his eyes flicker downward with a small hot flare of female satisfaction. “I think you really do like to play games. You’re a consummate poker player, aren’t you, Lex?”

He forced his eyes away from her low-cut blouse, cleared his throat. “What makes you say that?”

“Because you’re a watcher. I think you like to study people from the shadows, the sidelines, assessing weaknesses, while showing nothing of yourself. Then you suddenly take them by surprise.” She sipped from her champagne glass, and his eyes dipped down to her lips. Jenna moved her fingers lightly down the stem of the glass, slanting her eyes back to his. “I suspect you know exactly how much a man can lose by carrying emotion in his eyes.”