Full Bloom

explained impatiently. "Listen, Emily, I want to tell you how much I—"
    "How long ago did it happen? Have you seen a doctor?"
    He groaned and abruptly reached out to fold his arms around her. He wrapped her close to him, heedless of his own soreness. One hand twisted gently in her hair so that he could bury her face against his hard chest.
    The tactic effectively silenced her. When she was no longer in a position to hurl questions at him, Jacob bent his head and murmured into her hair, "Hush, Emily. Everything's under control. The police and the building manager left twenty minutes ago. No one's holding his breath hoping for an immediate arrest. This sort of thing happens all the time."
    "Jacob…" Her voice was muffled against his shirt. Emily tried to pull free and discovered she was trapped. Jacob's arms around her were warm and tender but they were also as immovable as iron.
    "Believe it or not, I've got more important things to talk about right now."
    "Such as?"
    His big hand moved in her hair and his other slid down her spine to the curve of her hip. He urged her lower body into the hard cradle of his thighs. "Such as two dozen yellow roses and a very short note of apology."
    She managed to get her head up so that she could meet his eyes. "What's the matter?" she demanded waspishly. "Was the note too short?"
    His gaze was fierce and warm. "No, the note was not too short. Emily, no one's ever sent me flowers before, let alone two dozen yellow roses."
    She smiled tremulously. "You've probably never dated a florist before."
    "I can't argue that. But that's not the point."
    "What is the point, Jacob?"
    He shook his head and framed her questioning face between his strong hands. "The point is, I should have been the one to send you the flowers and the note of apology."
    Emily stared up at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
    "It means I was wrong to demand the apology from you in the first place. I shouldn't have jumped all over you for that scene in your father's study. You weren't using me to get back at your family. It's not in you to use someone else to get your revenge. I should have realized you were being honest when you told me you had threatened everyone with those damned shares just to protect me. You've always been honest with me, Emily."
    Emily sighed with relief. She leaned her head back down on his shoulder. Her arms stole carefully around his waist. "When did you come to that conclusion?"
    "About you being so honest?"
    "No, about my having tried blackmail to protect you."
    "Very early this morning," he admitted. "Amazing what two sleepless nights will do for a man's thinking ability. It finally dawned on me that you've got enough Ravenscroft blood in you to fight for something you want. You proved that when you went ahead and got the loan for your florist shop. But you're not enough of a Ravenscroft to use me or anyone else to plot revenge against your whole family. Not just for the sake of getting even with them for their meddling over the years. You really did think you were protecting me, didn't you?"
    She nodded slowly. "I was so afraid they would find a means to drive you away from me. They don't like the idea of us having an affair."
    Jacob appeared unconcerned by that. He smiled faintly and curled his hand around the nape of her neck. "The flowers arrived when I was in the middle of packing to drive up here so I could tell you I was sorry I had overreacted."
    Emily's eyes widened. "You were going to do the apologizing?"
    "Uh-huh." He bent his head to kiss her lightly on the brow. "But you beat me to it."
    "Oh, Jacob, that's so sweet." Emily was enchanted. "You were actually going to apologize to me? I can't believe it." Without thinking, she hugged him tightly. Jacob sucked air painfully, and she instantly released him. "Oh, dear, I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you sure you're all right? Maybe we'd better get you to an emergency room."
    "I'll live," he assured her. "I don't need a doctor."
    "What happened to those two thugs who attacked you?" she demanded with a frown.
    "They took off when another car drove into the garage. I gave the cops the descriptions, but, like I said, I'm not holding my breath." He scowled down at her. "I'd like to know why the idea of my apologizing is such a strange one for you to swallow."
    She flushed and stepped back with a small, shaky laugh. "Ravenscrofts in general aren't big on apologies. They always figure they're in the right in the first place."
    Jacob's