Conspiracy Game (GhostWalkers #4)(54)
Author: Christine Feehan

Briony cleared her throat. “I’d prefer not to meet your brother until I have clothes on. I’m very uncomfortable.”

“I’d prefer it that way as well,” he said, without glancing over his shoulder. “I’ll get you clothes right away.” Stay out of sight, Ken, until I get her clothes. She has Whitney’s new army after her and I didn’t want to take a chance on bugs.

Whitney? I thought he was dead.

So did I. Ken. Jack hesitated.

I’m here.

Don’t be too charming. I don’t want her falling for you.

There was dead silence. Jack cursed under his breath. Ken was the type of man all the ladies fell for. Few women gave Jack a second glance, and if they did, they moved away quickly. Never once, in all their years together, had he warned Ken off of a woman.

You okay with her here?

I don’t want her anywhere else.

That wasn’t what I asked. You know how you are. Is it safe for her to be here? Ken persisted.

Damn it, Ken, how the hell would I know. She’s here. She isn’t going to leave, so we all have to find a way to live with it.

She doesn’t want to leave or you aren’t letting her leave?

That was Ken, going right to the heart of the matter. Ken knew him, knew every black mark on his soul. Jack didn’t answer, taking Briony through the trees to the front yard. She stopped abruptly when she saw the house.

“It’s beautiful. It never occurred to me that there would be a real house way out here. It’s perfect.”

Secretly pleased at the appreciative awe in her voice, he gave a casual shrug. “Ken and I built it together. We own a little over twenty-four hundred acres, and the property is completely self-sufficient. We have acres of tamarack and fir trees, and if we ever need to make a little money, we can harvest some of them. We also have a gold mine. The water supply to the property is gravity-fed. We don’t need power to get it into the house. The hydroelectrical system powers the batteries, and we only use a small amount of the power available to us.”

“It looks like a log cabin, but it’s huge.”

“Over three thousand square feet. Ken has one wing of the house and I have the other. We share the kitchen, dining, and great rooms. The garage nearly doubles the space, so we have the room to expand into offices if we ever want to.”

“Why offices?”

“Ken thinks we’re going to run a high-priced camp for bored businessmen to practice survival skills.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“It requires actually talking to them.”

Briony laughed. It was the first time he’d heard her laugh since he’d left her months earlier, and the sound played down his spine like caressing fingers. “I see. What did you make the house out of? I love the fact that it looks like a log cabin.”

“The logs are Western white pine. We fitted them together with Swedish cope and used oil for the finish. The original mine is still on the property, as well as the first cabin built.”

“You really have a gold mine?”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips lingering against her skin. “There’s gold up here, although Ken and I have never bothered to pursue it. We have all the wildlife and trout in the streams we need and are completely independent when we’re here. No telephones, so no one can bother us.”

“Jebediah said you’re still in the service. How do they get in touch with you if they need you?”

“Radio. We have a helicopter if we need it and a small plane at the airport.”

“Well, your house is absolutely beautiful and unexpected. I think you’re a secret artisan.”

He waved her toward the porch, inexplicably pleased that she liked his home. It was a sanctuary, plain and simple, a place few would ever find and fewer would dare to enter. “The road goes out in the winter, but we have snowmobiles.”

“What do you use for heat?”

“Wood. There’s plenty of it.”

“I especially love the verandah. I’ve always loved covered wraparound decks, and yours is perfect.” Briony touched the railing and stepped up onto the porch. She did love the house, but now that she was about to enter, her heart was beating too wildly. It took all of her courage to flash a tentative smile and act as if she entered strange men’s homes in nothing but a shirt every day of the week. “Funny, with all the warnings about you, Jack, you have more of a home than most people do. And it surprises me. This is beautiful.”

“It’s very isolated. Most women wouldn’t like it up here.”

Briony shrugged. “Most women can be around people without any problems. Me, I like solitude. And I’ve never had the chance to be in the mountains like this. It’s especially beautiful at night.”

“Tomorrow, I’m going to show you any alarms or booby traps on the property so if you’re out walking, you won’t get in trouble.”

She rolled her eyes. “Can we just say paranoia?”

“I prefer to use the term prepared.”

He led her through the kitchen. She glimpsed a stove and refrigerator, but little else as he hurried her through the house, down a wide hall to push a door open and step back for her to enter.

His scent was everywhere. She glanced back at him, hesitating. Her womb clenched, and she could feel the slow heat moving through her body. “Your bedroom?”

Jack drew in his breath. This was going to be a hell of a lot harder on both of them than he’d first thought. “Where else? I’ll get you something to sleep in and something to wear tomorrow morning.” He crossed to the dresser and pulled out a pair of drawstring pants. He’d never worn them. Ken had been trying to dress him for years, but so far Jack had resisted, preferring his jeans and camouflage clothes. “Are you hungry? I can whip something up for you.”

“I’m just really tired, Jack. I’d like to take a shower if you don’t mind, and just go to bed.” Because she couldn’t face him anymore. Looking at him hurt. And her body was out of control. She was ashamed of her lack of control. More than anything, she wanted to be alone where she could pull the covers over her head and cry her eyes out where no one could see-or hear.

Jack opened the door to his private bathroom. Her scent was already mingling with his. Once she was in his bathroom, he would have no respite from her-and he didn’t care. She had her plan to keep him at a distance. He wasn’t going to let that happen. Briony Jenkins was going to have to learn to live with him. It wouldn’t be easy for her, but there was no alternative, and he wasn’t going to allow her to back away from what was so obviously between them.