Leopard 03 - Burning Wild

and if Dean Hopkins was stealing from Jake as he suspected, they would find the evidence. She kissed him again, just because he was Jake and never suspected the goodness in himself. He would have said he’d hired Ida and Clara because they were brilliant and loyal, not realizing he had created their loyalty through his own actions.
    “The news said the storm is going to be very bad,” she reminded. “There’s going to be widespread flooding. If you can’t beat it home, stay in town so I’ll know you’re safe.”
    Jake pressed her tighter against him, hearing that note in her voice, the one that conveyed worry and love, the one he listened for now. Going to his office to confront Hopkins wasn’t nearly as much fun as he had anticipated. He’d much rather stay home with Emma and the children now, but he’d put the confrontation off for too long.
    “I’ll be fine, honey. I’ll call you if I think the roads are too bad.”
    Emma pressed the papers against her heart again. “I love seeing my name on his birth certificate. Thank you, Jake, this means the world to me.”
    “I’m the one who’s thankful to have you as Kyle’s mother, Emma.” He kissed her again and picked up his briefcase. “If you need anything at all, let Drake know.”
    “Storms don’t scare me,” she assured.
    Emma watched him leave. Although it was still only late afternoon, the sky had already darkened and the winds had picked up. She wasn’t frightened of storms, usually she really enjoyed them, but she did feel uneasy. Knots developed in the very pit of her stomach. Andraya ran into the room, chased after by Susan.
    “Mommy.” The little chubby arms went up.
    Emma bent down to pick up Andraya, and as she settled her against her hip, the little girl brushed against her breast. It hurt. Really hurt. So much so that she immediately put her daughter back on the floor, inhaling sharply. Her muscles ached. She didn’t want to come down with the flu and have the children get it.
    As the afternoon wore on, her symptoms increased. She developed a sensitivity to sound. The light bothered her eyes. At times her eyes would abruptly change vision, so that bands of color appeared before her eyes. Her joints hurt, cracking and popping with every movement she made.
    But more than the physical pain, the soreness invading her body was something much, much worse, something insidious and frightening.
    She was very aware of her body. Every curve. Every square inch of skin. The heat building inside of her. The tension stretching along nerve endings. She rubbed at her arms as an itch spread, not over the top of her skin, but under , as if something long dormant was rising and trying to get out.
    Emma tried to play with the children, but as evening approached she found herself watching the clock, her teeth set grimly, hoping the time would pass faster so she could put them to bed. Her emotions swung out of control in either direction. One moment she was close to tears and the next she was snapping at everyone. Several times Susan asked her what was wrong, and she caught the girl looking at her strangely, as if even her appearance was different.
    By dinner time, Emma was certain she was going insane. Her body ached with need. If Jake hadn’t gone to his office she would have been begging him to make love to her. Her breasts ached beyond belief, her nipples hard, brushing against her bra with every step she took until she wanted desperately to rip her clothes off to get some relief. It felt as if a million ants were crawling over her skin, soft, tiny brush strokes feathering up and down every nerve ending. Deep inside, she burned, empty and desperate to be filled. She was hotter than she’d ever been, her temperature rising by several degrees, and not even an ice pack on her neck alleviated the heat.
    The brewing storm added to her growing discomfort and unrest. Twice she picked up the phone, and then dropped it back down. She couldn’t let fear put Jake in danger. The weather forecasters had been sending nonstop warnings about possible flooding, and already the rain had started.
    With the wind picking up, the rain was being blown sideways. She didn’t want Jake out in danger because she was uneasy and becoming afraid.
    Emma put together a nice dinner, trying to do something positive with the restless energy building up inside of her, but she was ready to crawl out of her skin. It hurt to wear clothes. The sexual need came in waves, each one