Full Bloom

attacked you in the garage? You think Damon might have sent them? That's ridiculous. I don't need any protection from Damon."
    Temper flared in Jacob's grim eyes. "Is that right? What about the time he assaulted you right here in your own apartment?"
    "That was hardly a full-scale assault. He just tried to kiss me, that's all. He was upset. I could have handled him."
    "The hell you could. He would have raped you if I hadn't arrived when I did. He was out for vengeance and you were the most convenient target."
    "He would not have raped me. He was angry but he wouldn't have hurt me."
    "That's what you think. All he cares about is hurting a Ravenscroft. He was going to use you to cripple the firm, and when that failed he intended to take out his frustration on you."
    "Even if that much is true, why would he send those punks after you?"
    Jacob sucked in his breath and his hands closed more tightly around her shoulders. "How do you know they were after me? Maybe they were waiting for you last night, Emily. Maybe Morrell sent them to grab you. Maybe they tried to take me out because they saw me as being in the way. We can't take any risks, Emily."
    Emily shuddered as the realization hit home. It wasn't just herself and her wounded feelings she had to consider right now. She had to think about the possibility of Jacob being in danger. "So this is the real reason you're so eager for us to take a little trip to the coast. As usual, you're just acting for the family, protecting me. I would have appreciated some honesty, Jacob. I get very tired of being sheltered and protected. In fact, I'm damned sick of it."
    He closed his eyes briefly and growled a low curse. "I'm sorry, Emily. I guess the habit of sheltering you is too strong. Hell, it isn't just a habit. It's my gut instinct. I just want to keep you safe, sweetheart."
    "Tell me something," Emily asked wearily. "Were we scheduled to ever get around to discussing our future while we sat out there in that cozy cabin on the coast? Or was that just a lure to coax me into going with you?"
    "We were going to discuss the future, all right," he muttered. "I was planning on asking you to marry me."

NINE
    « ^ »
    "M arry you? You're serious?" Emily sat strapped into the passenger seat of Jacob's Mercedes, feeling bemused and totally disconcerted. She had been feeling that way since Jacob had made his unexpected announcement in the bathroom. Her stunned reaction had given him the advantage. Before she'd quite realized what was happening, she had found herself packed up and stashed in his car. Jacob had even handled the call to Diane, instructing her to take over at the shop until further notice.
    Emily was beginning to realize why her father had relied on Jacob for so many odd jobs during the past few years. He was definitely the take-charge type.
    "Of course I'm serious," Jacob said, easing the car through morning traffic. "What makes you think I'm not?"
    She hedged. "Well, for one thing, you told me two years ago you'd probably never marry again."
    "Emily, that was then and this is now. Two years ago I was ending a bad marriage and convinced I'd probably never be able to have you. I was angry at life in general, and I probably said a lot of things that I would now prefer to forget."
    Emily shifted uneasily in the seat. "But why marriage, Jacob? We can be together, if that's what you want, the way we have been for the past few days."
    "No," he stated bluntly, "we can't. You might be able to survive the strain but I won't."
    "If you're talking about the situation with Damon Morrell and your suspicions about him, I don't think that constitutes a solid reason for something as drastic as marriage." Emily was feeling goaded. "I appreciate your loyalty to the family, naturally, but I think marrying me to protect me from Damon is going a little too far above and beyond the call of duty. I also doubt that in this case my family would appreciate your sacrifice. But the main point is that I don't need the protection. I have said it a thousand times in the past and I will say it again—
I can take care of myself
."
    "Don't be ridiculous, Emily. You know damned good and well I'm not marrying you in order to protect you from Morrell. There are easier ways of handling him, believe me."
    "Then why do you want to marry me?" she exploded.
    "For the usual reasons," he shot back.
    "Such as?"
    He slanted her a narrow look and made an obvious bid for his patience. "Such as the fact that we are very