Instead, she clenched one last time, as her consciousness slipped away.
• • • • •
Jean woke to the most wonderful sensation–Clark nuzzling into her hair. His big arms encircled her from behind and she realized they were spooning. She inhaled deeply, hugged his arms to her chest, and scooted her herself back against him.
“Good morning,” he said quietly.
She smiled, though she still hadn’t opened her eyes.
“Good morning,” she said.
He hugged her closer.
“You had me worried,” he said. “Maybe we should have waited.”
She opened her eyes, drew his arms away from her and rolled over to face him. He seemed a little surprised and also a little worried. She caressed the side of his face. His dark hair was tousled but his eyes were clear and searching hers.
“Waited?” she said. “I felt like I’d been waiting forever.”
“Me too,” he said, with a little smile.
Then she saw the bandage on his chest.
She lightly touched the skin beside it, running her fingers over his pec.
“George did this?” she asked quietly.
Clark nodded and told her the story. As he did, his face grew more serious and the tone of his voice more anxious. He finished with the collapse of the greenhouse. They were both silent for several moments.
“I don’t know what I’ll say to everyone,” he said, looking past her to the bedroom door. “We were all counting on the money.”
Jean shook her head at that.
“The money is easy,” she said.
He scowled at her.
“The money’s never been easy,” he said.
“Well, it should have been,” she replied.
“Really,” he said flatly.
She sat up.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m not kidding.” Clark sat up as well. “I’m an auditor, remember? George might have been a fake but I wasn’t.” She paused as he cocked his head at her. “I know your business inside out. There’s no reason you can’t get a loan. None at all. In fact, I had wondered why you’d chosen an investor in the first place.”
“Because we never could get a loan,” he said. “We tried.”
“I
saw
that loan package,” she said, as though she’d seen something horrific. “Who put that together?”
Clark blinked.
“Well, I did.”
That explained a lot. Clark was
not
a financial guy.
“I wish I’d known you then,” she said. “You’d have never needed an investor.”
“What?”
“That package was…well, frankly, it was pathetic. I’d have turned it down too.”
Now Clark grimaced.
“I see,” he said. “And I suppose you could have done better.”
“There is no suppose,” she said simply. “I could have. I would have. I’ve done it dozens of times with a lot less. A
lot
less.” She shook her head. “But now, with the seedlings destroyed–”
“They’re not,” Clark said, a bit of energy in his voice.
“What?” Jean said. “I thought you said the greenhouse was completely destroyed, burned to the ground, and everything in it.”
“Not everything was in it,” he said, a smile beginning to form on his lips.
Her mouth formed a soundless ‘what?’.
“The buds that George stole,” he said, really smiling now. “I got them back.”
“You what?” she said, stunned.
“I guess I forgot to mention that part.”
“I guess you did,” she said.
He circled his arm around her waist and drew her in front of him, straddling his thighs.
“I must have had something else on my mind,” he said, looking down at her body and then back up to her eyes.
“I can’t imagine what,” she said, trying not to grin.
“Oh, I doubt that,” he said. He was quiet for a few moments. “A loan package–a
good
one–that must take some time to put together.”
“Oh no,” she said quickly. “I could have that done in a few days.”
He became a little more serious.
“Okay,” he said. “Then, getting the loan results back. Getting accounts set up. I don’t know, getting the blank checks printed–that might take weeks. Or, who knows? Maybe
months
.”
She slowly shook her head. That was ridiculous.
“Blank checks?” she said.
“What I’m saying,” he said, pulling her closer, “is that I’d like you stay.”
She stared at him.
“Stay?” she whispered. “You mean, like,
stay
?”
He smoothed some hair back from her face and looked into her eyes.
“I mean stay,” he said, smiling. “With me. We’ll make a good team.”
Then suddenly he was serious again.
“I love you, Jean. I can’t imagine doing this without you.”
His face was close now and she leaned in.
“I’ve loved you from the start,” she whispered.
She was just about to kiss him when he held her back.
“Just one thing,” he said.
“What?”
“No more silk blouses,” he said, one corner of his mouth curling upward. “You look better without them.”
She couldn’t help but smile.
“Deal,” she said.
He drew her in then and kissed her and, as far as she was concerned, she would never wear silk again.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
If you loved this Erotic Expedition Bundle then join me for more sizzling hot romance! My
newsletter
will let you know about new releases and
only
new releases. Don’t miss the next!
Visit
HazelHunter.com
to find more great stories available
today
.
Copyright © 2013 Hazel Hunter
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.