Donovans 02 - Jade Island

explains it. Daniel said some of the erotica were missing, among other things. Obviously it’s all a mistake. As soon as those boxes are returned to the Tangs, the charges will be dropped.”
    “You’re not thinking very clearly,” Lianne told him. “Wen packed the boxes and gave them to me himself. He knew about the trade. Why would he file charges saying those same pieces had been stolen?”
    “Maybe because the trade didn’t take place,” Kyle said. “Wen was probably pissed.”
    “He was counting on Seng’s goodwill,” Johnny said reluctantly. “The Tang family needs a friend on the mainland.”
    “Putting Lianne in jail won’t get you one,” Kyle said, his voice rough.
    “If Wen was so desperate for Seng to get those jades,” Lianne said, “he should have passed them over himself. More importantly, Wen shouldn’t have insisted that I put my name on three of the appraisal documents, as though I had seen and approved of the entire trade. Above all else, he shouldn’t have told Daniel that I stole those jades.”
    “Are you sure Wen did?” Johnny asked.
    “Someone did. Daniel looked at me the way you would at a thief. It was…painful. He has your eyes.”
    Johnny smiled sadly. “So do you.”
    Lianne’s breath hitched, then smoothed out. She gave her father a strained smile in return.
    “Don’t worry,” he said. “This has all been a misunderstanding. I’ll talk with Wen. He’ll drop the charges against you.”
    Kyle didn’t think so. There was much more at stake than Seng’s goodwill and a few cartons of stone erotica. But Johnny would have to find that out the hard way.
    “Are you a betting man?” Kyle asked softly.
    “I’m Chinese,” Johnny said, grinning faintly.
    “I’m betting that your family won’t drop the charges against Lianne.”
    “But—”
    Kyle kept talking. “If I’m wrong, I’ll do everything in my power to convince Archer to accept a trial partnership with the Tang Consortium.”
    Johnny sat up straight. “Can you do this?”
    “I give my word I’ll try.”
    “Good. I’ll set up a meeting between Joe and—”
    “Not yet,” Kyle interrupted. “You haven’t heard what your stakes are.”
    “What do you want from me?”
    “Access to the Tang jade vaults.”
    “Why?” Johnny asked.
    “Yes or no,” was Kyle’s only answer.
    Johnny measured him for several seconds, then said, “Yes.”
     
    “There’s only one bed,” Lianne said bluntly.
    Kyle locked the door behind him and looked around his suite. The housekeeper had already been at work, which was why no dirty socks decorated the floor and no splash marks dimmed the shine of the bathroom. The bed that Lianne was objecting to was freshly made. It was also big enough to comfortably hold three Donovan brothers, if it came to that.
    “That’s okay,” Kyle said. “You don’t take up much room.”
    “I won’t sleep with you.”
    “You slept with me just fine last night. You were yawning a few minutes ago, until Johnny called. You’ll sleep.”
    “That wasn’t what I meant.”
    “Then what did you mean?” Kyle’s voice was muffled because he was peeling off his sweater.
    Lianne rubbed her hands up and down her arms and thought of how warm his cast-off sweater would be, his body heat plus that of the wool. Her skin was cold. Even as she turned her back on Kyle, she wanted to burrow into his heat and strength, to pull him around her, to forget that it was almost midnight and that tomorrow was another day, another ordeal.
    Wen had refused to drop the charges. Even though Lianne had expected it, part of her felt as though she had been slapped across the face.
    “I won’t have sex with you,” Lianne said.
    “Good.”
    She spun around. Kyle was smiling at her. Crookedly. There was passion in his eyes and gentleness in the hands reaching for her. His fingers skimmed over her hair, her eyelids, her cheekbones, her jaw, until her breath broke. His thumb caressed the rapidly beating pulse in her neck.
    “I said I won’t—”
    “And I said good,” he interrupted. “I don’t want sex with you, Lianne. Sex is something that happens between people who need a lube job.”
    Without meaning to, Lianne looked from Kyle’s eyes to the dark bronze hair on his chest, to the waistband of his jeans, and beyond, to the blunt bulge of his erection straining against the worn, faded denim.
    “Who are you trying to kid?” she said. “You’re rock-hard and ready to go.”
    He put his hand