Full Bloom

understand something first."
    "What?" Emily jerked back in alarm as he reached for her. She didn't move quickly enough. Damon's hands closed around her and he pulled her roughly against him.
    "Let me go, dammit," she ordered, becoming annoyed.
    "I'm not going to let you kick me out of your life at this stage of the game," Damon vowed. "I've invested a lot of time and effort in you and I want the payoff. Damned if I'm going to let you get away with ruining everything. I should have moved more quickly with you. I can see that now. I gave you too much time and too much room. I should have taken you right at the start. If I had, you would have been right where I wanted you by now."
    Things were getting out of hand, Emily decided. She planted both her palms against his shoulders and shoved with all her strength as Damon tried to crush her mouth beneath his own. She turned her head aside and swore in exasperation and anger.
    "I said,
let me go
," Emily snapped. If he refused, she would have to do something more forceful, she realized. Matters weren't out of control yet, but they were definitely escalating. Damon pinned her body against his own. She aimed a swift, warning kick and managed to connect with his shin. He muttered something under his breath, but he did not release her.
    At that moment the door slammed against the wall and Jacob exploded into the hall in a silent rush. Emily didn't even realize he was in the room until she suddenly found herself free. She was released so abruptly that she spun back against the wall. She opened her eyes in time to see Damon hit the floor with a resounding thud.
    "Take your hands off her, Morrell." The command was dangerously soft. Jacob moved to stand over his victim, feet braced, his face set in a savage battle mask. His gray eyes were as cold and hard as granite. In that moment it was very easy to see that Stone was more than just a name to be applied to him. It was also an excellent description of the man himself. "Don't ever touch her again. If you do, I'll take you apart. Slowly. Now get out of here."
    Damon rolled to his feet and got up cautiously, his eyes never leaving Jacob's face. There was wariness in him as he weighed and judged his adversary, but there was also a seething anger.
    "I don't let anyone get in my way," Damon said. "Not for long. Not when I want something very badly. Remember that, Stone."
    "If you know who I am, then you probably also know that I don't let people get in my way, either. Let's call it a draw this time around, Morrell. Cut your losses. You've got other fish to fry. Emily and her shares in RI are not on the menu."
    Damon's gaze flicked briefly to Emily's taut features, then he concentrated on the real source of danger in the room. "I get the picture now. You're doing a little fishing for yourself. You're the one who should be cutting his losses, Stone. The Ravenscrofts aren't going to let you within a mile of Emily or her shares. You're playing out of your league."
    "Get out of here, Morrell."
    Damon's mouth curved derisively as he turned toward the door without another word. But as he stepped out into the hall, he spared Emily one last glance.
    "A lamb among wolves," he muttered.
    And then he was gone.
    Emily, who had been frozen in place against the wall as she watched the small scene of violence played out, felt like collapsing. She closed her eyes and drew a deep, steadying breath. She was aware that her pulse was beating very rapidly and her nerves felt stretched with tension. She heard Jacob close the door.
    "What the hell was he doing here, Emily?"
    Emily opened her eyes to find her rescuer looking every bit as dangerous as the man who had just left. It took an act of willpower to summon her defenses as she realized she was now under a different kind of attack. It wasn't fair.
    "What do you think he was doing here?" She straightened away from the wall, absently massaging her wrist. Damon had wrenched it at some point during the proceedings. "He came to see me."
    "Why?" Jacob braced one hand against the wall beside her and planted his other fist on his hip as he scowled down at her.
    Emily frowned resentfully. "He wanted to know why I had been finding excuses not to see him lately."
    "Finding excuses?" Jacob's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You've been inventing excuses not to see him? You didn't tell him flat out that you never wanted to see him again?"
    "I was trying to handle things gracefully," Emily tried to explain, feeling pressured