Full Bloom

eyes gleamed thoughtfully. "I'm not a Ravenscroft, remember?"
    "I know, but you always seemed to be on the same side as the rest of my family," she reminded him bluntly. "You were always aligned with Dad and Drake and the rest of them. You were so much like them in so many ways. I guess I lumped you in with the others, and it always seemed to be me against the rest of you. And you were never big on apologizing, either, Jacob. Admit it. I put up with a lot from all of you over the years, and nobody ever said he was sorry. You weren't any better about it than the others. You all took the attitude that I was the one who should do the apologizing."
    Jacob grinned wryly. "That's because we all thought you should appreciate the fact that we were only acting in your best interests."
    "Hah."
    "I guess it must have been hard at times, hmm? All those people, me included, trying to tell you how to live your life?" Jacob reached out and pulled her back into his arms.
    "Very hard." She touched him gently, conscious of his bruises, and inhaled the exciting, male scent of his body.
    "Emily," he said in a new and more urgent tone, "I'll admit that your family and I are probably guilty of overprotecting you on occasion, but the truth is there were plenty of times when you needed that protection. Look at how far Morrell got with you before you found out he was just using you."
    "I wish everyone would stop throwing Damon in my face." Emily tugged free of Jacob's grasp. "I was only dating the man. We weren't having an affair and we certainly were not planning marriage, as my parents feared. He did not get very far with me at all."
    "Maybe you weren't planning either an affair or marriage, but Morrell was."
    "For Pete's sake, that doesn't mean I would have meekly gone along with him," Emily snapped. Her mood was beginning to shift from blissful relief at finding Jacob in her apartment to a familiar sense of defensiveness. "I decided two years ago I would never marry."
    Jacob's eyes were suddenly alive with an unidentifiable emotion. "You did?" he asked softly.
    Emily tried to treat the whole thing casually. "I took your advice. I came to the conclusion you were right. Marriage was an institution for fools. I believe those were your exact words. And in my case, I had the additional worry of trying to find a man who wouldn't want control of RI. All in all, I decided the sensible thing to do was never to marry. So you see, there was never any real danger of Damon talking me into marrying him. Can't anyone give me a little credit for being able to take care of myself?"
    "Honey, I'm sorry. Again. The last thing I want to do tonight is lecture you or chew you out or annoy you." He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Then he bent his head and nuzzled the warm, sweetly scented place behind her left ear. "Let's forget Morrell and your family and those two punks in the garage. We've got better things to do."
    Emily sighed and let herself sink back into his warmth. "It's very hard for me to stay annoyed with you, Jacob."
    "Good." He kissed the curve of her shoulder with satisfaction. "What was that you were carrying when you came through the door a few minutes ago?"
    "My floral design. I won, Jacob. I won first place in the professional show category." For the first time that evening, she could enjoy the victory.
    He turned her around in his arms, grinning down at her. "Congratulations. I can't say I'm surprised." He walked over to where the winning arrangement sat on a table. Jacob studied it for a long moment, moving around it to see it from all angles.
    Emily realized she was holding her breath. When he turned back to her he was smiling with an odd satisfaction.
    "It's perfect," he said, coming back toward her. "Exotic and tempting and a little mystifying. Just like you." His fingers went to the buttons of her blouse. "We have a lot to celebrate tonight. And I can't think of any better way to do it than to take you to bed. I was a fool to leave you alone at that hotel in Portland. But at least I learn from my mistakes." His eyes were cloudy with desire.
    "What about your bruises?" Emily asked anxiously. She was vividly aware of the exciting roughness of his fingertips as he undid the buttons of her blouse. "I wouldn't want to hurt you."
    "Just be gentle with me, okay?" he said with a rare, wicked grin.
    She responded to his teasing with impulsive delight. Something about Jacob always seemed to release the sensual, daring side of