"Did you wake me for a reason?" she asked, humor in her voice.
He bent his head over and caught one peaked nipple in his mouth. He nipped, then sucked, and followed up by laving it with his tongue. While her hips arched, he moved to the other breast, then lifted his head and said, "Why waste time sleeping when we can be making love?"
She flung her arm around his neck and brought his mouth back down to hers. "My sentiments exactly." She kissed him.
They were as wild for each other this time as the first time. No slow loving. No lingering foreplay. But Grace didn't care. They tossed and tumbled on the bed, touching and tasting, hungry for sex. Jed donned another condom and took the dominant position. He grasped her hips, lifting her to meet his first deep, powerful thrust. He filled her completely-her body, her mind, her heart,
Jed showered and dressed. All the while, Grace slept. As he eased his Beretta into its holster, he turned toward the bed and looked at her. He was about as hung up on her as a guy could be. And as much as he'd like to tell himself that it was just the great sex, he knew better. Yeah, the sex was incredible, but that was only part of it. He cared about Grace in a way he'd never cared about another woman. He wanted to please her, make her happy. And he wanted her to be proud of him, needed her to think well of him,
You damn idiot, he told himself. You've gone and screwed up big time. You've let yourself get emotionally involved with a woman who is bound to hate you once she discovers you're Booth Fortier's nephew. Why the hell didn't you just tell her the truth? If you had, you could have saved yourself and her a whole lot of heartache.
Although he'd told Grace he'd come from a family of criminals and she hadn't judged him or condemned him, he couldn't count on her understanding when she learned that he was the nephew of the man responsible for her father's and husband's deaths. Would she ever be able to look at him again and not think about the fact that he was the nephew of the man who had taken away those she had loved the most dearly, including her precious unborn child?
His instinct was to kiss her goodbye before he left, but he squelched that desire. He removed his jacket from the hanger, put it on and quietly left the room. When he got downstairs, he found Dom and Kate had already arrived and were sharing coffee in the kitchen.
"Is Miss Grace not up?" Laverna asked, her wise old eyes studying Jed speculatively.
"She's sleeping in this morning. Don't disturb her." Jed turned to Kate. "Call her office and tell Elsa that Grace is taking the morning off."
Kate nodded.
"Do they know you're coming?" Dom asked quietly as he walked up beside Jed.
Jed shook his head. "That would eliminate the element of surprise. I plan to just show up."
"And you think they'll invite you in?"
"I know they will," Jed replied. "Booth will be curious as hell about why I'm paying him a visit." Jed caught both Laverna and Nolan looking at him curiously. "Yes, Miss Grace knows my plans. She knows I'm going to see Booth Fortier this morning. "
Laverna looked away hurriedly. Nolan cleared his throat, then said, "I'm sure you're doing what you think is best for Miss Grace."
Laverna handed Jed a cup of coffee-just the way he liked it. Black. "Thanks," Jed said.
Dom placed his hand on Jed's shoulder. "Why don't I walk you out? It'll give us a chance to go over a few things."
Jed nodded, took several quick sips of the hot coffee, then set the cup on the table. "I'm trusting you and Kate to take care of Grace."
Dom followed Jed out into the hall. "Moran called me. He said he'd tried to reach you, but your cell phone was off."
Jed cursed under his breath. "I didn't recharge the battery last night. I forgot." He tapped the phone he'd left on inside his coat pocket.
Dom gave Jed a speculative glance, but made no comment, although Jed figured Dom suspected why he'd forgotten to recharge his phone battery. After all, Dom had been the one who'd gotten the condoms for him.
"I got distracted," Jed admitted.
"It happens." Dom whipped his phone from his pocket and handed it to Jed. "Swap phones with me. You need to call Moran on your way to Beaulac."
The men exchanged phones, then once they were outside near the rental car Kate had driven over for Jed this morning, Dom recited Moran's number.
"Good luck," Dom said.
"Keep watch over Grace."
"You know we will. Stop worrying. The way you're acting, you'd think she was your-" Dom grinned, then grimaced. "Holy shi- What am I saying? I realize she's not just a client to you."
"Yeah, yeah. I know I've screwed up. But save the name-calling. I've already called myself every name in the book. And don't think I don't know how she'll react when she finds out that Booth is my uncle."
"She's a smart lady. Give her time and she'll understand. She won't blame you for the things your uncle has done."
"I just hope you're right."
Jed opened the car door, slid behind the wheel, started the engine and drove away. When he reached the gates at the end of the long drive, they already stood open. Nolan's doing, no doubt. He pulled the car just beyond the gates, then punched in Moran's number on Dom's phone and waited. On the second ring, Moran answered.
"Jed Tyree here. I'm leaving Belle Foret right now. I should be in Beaulac in about forty-five minutes."
"Our agent's name is Jim Kelly," Moran said. "He's been undercover for two years. Fortier and everyone in the syndicate know him as Ronnie Martine. He's been Charmaine Fortier's personal bodyguard for six months."
Chapter 17
The Fortier home was located toward the back of twenty acres, along the riverfront outside the small town of Beaulac. Although at first sight no one would suspect the extent of the security surrounding the place, Jed knew. No one got near the house without being watched like a hawk. Booth had guard points set up all around the property and underlings manned those inconspicuous stations. When he'd stopped at the front gate and announced himself, he'd been allowed entrance, without hesitation. Whether Booth had given the okay or one of his flunkies had, Jed didn't know. But it seemed Booth's nephew was welcome. And that's just what Jed had been counting on. Booth was a ruthless man, a true killer at heart, but he considered blood relatives different from other people. Jed had heard his uncle say more than once that a man didn't eliminate his own blood kin. Besides, Booth had to be curious about why Jed would come to see him, especially since his uncle no doubt already knew he was working for Grace Beaumont. As he drove up the road toward the house, he mentally prepared himself for what was to come. He hadn't seen his uncle in seventeen years, but the closer he got to the house, the hotter the rage inside him. Being at the old homestead brought back memories-both good and bad. Foremost in his mind was the fact that Booth had ordered his father's death, something Booth hadn't denied when Jed confronted him.
From the moment he'd been conceived, Jed's life had been affected by his uncle's actions. As he parked the rental car in front of his grandparents' old house, he realized that despite having separated himself from Booth, putting time and distance between them, he hadn't been able to escape his heritage. He was part of the Fortier family; and just as Booth had, Jed had inherited a legacy of criminal activity that went back generations.
He'd grown up in this house, the privileged nephew of a powerful man. His childhood had been less than perfect, but he'd learned at a young age to be tough and resilient. A boy without a mother, with only a ruthless dictator as an adult role model, Jed had been a cocky, smart-ass kid. And Booth had allowed him unlimited freedom, more than any teenager should have had. He had both feared and admired his uncle, and in an odd way he'd loved Booth. But all that had changed when his mother had told him the truth-Booth had ordered his father's murder.