Gift of Fire Read Online Free Page A

two weeks from today. That should be safe enough. Or make them for next month. Hell, use some common sense." Jonas spoke with clenched teeth, clearly working hard to hang on to his temper.

                Verity put her arms around his neck and felt the tension there and in the muscles of his broad shoulders. "You'll be very careful in Mexico, won't you?"

                "I'm always careful. Verity, about this stupid idea of a vacation. I don't want you going anywhere until I get back. Do you hear me?"

                "I hear you." She tugged gently at his neck, aware of his resistance. She tried a seductive smile. "I'm going to miss you, Jonas."

                He hesitated a moment and then slowly relaxed, lowering himself alongside her. He gathered her into his arms. "I'm going to miss you, too, little tyrant. You behave yourself while I'm gone."

    "Take care of yourself, Jonas. Take care of Dad, too. He's not as young as he once was."

                "Your old man can still whip most guys half his age. Whatever Emerson is losing to the years, he's more than making up for with an increasingly devious mind." He bent down and brushed her lips with his. "But don't worry about him, honey. I'll keep an eye on him for you."

    "Keep an eye on yourself, too. Good dishwashers are hard to find."

                "Always nice to be appreciated. Just don't start interviewing any replacements for my job while I'm gone."

                "Yes, Jonas." She slid her hands down to his firm, muscular buttocks and squeezed. "You're insatiable." He kissed her breast, his tongue warm and damp.
    "Lucky for me you always rise to the occasion."

                "Luck has nothing to do with it." He slid one knee between her legs. "The hell with it," he muttered against her throat. "I can sleep on the plane."

                Emerson glanced out the window of the Jeep and waved at his daughter standing in the doorway of the No Bull Cafe. Verity waved back and blew a kiss.

    "Looks like you did a good job of sweet-talking her last night," Emerson remarked. "Verity seemed

    downright cheerful this morning. I expected a lot of last-minute lectures on the subject of brainless male machismo."

                Jonas turned the Jeep onto the road leading out of Sequence Springs. It was still dark, and the sleepy little town slumbered peacefully beside the lake. "Things weren't so cheerful for a while there last night. You should have heard her, Emerson. She started talking about taking a vacation. A vacation all by herself. Can you beat that? Something about going to Hawaii while we're in Mexico. If she hadn't left claw marks in my leg the last time I tried it, I would have turned her over my knee and paddled some sense into her. She was planning to take off for the islands the minute my back was turned."

                Emerson's lips twitched briefly. He studied the road ahead with a thoughtful expression. "You talk her out of it?"

                "Damn right. Told her that if she really wanted to go on vacation, we'd go when I got back from Mexico. She can spend the next week planning the trip. It'll give her something constructive to do."

                "I think she needs a vacation," Emerson remarked slowly. "There's something different about Verity lately. You noticed?"

                Jonas was silent for a long moment. "I've noticed," he said finally. He would have given a great deal to know exactly what was going on in her feminine brain. More than once he'd caught her in a strange mood of self-absorption, as if she was looking inward and thinking about making some changes in her life.

                The thought filled Jonas with a strong feeling of uneasiness, and an even stronger feeling of possessiveness. His hands tightened around the steering wheel. If Verity was thinking of changing lovers, she could damn well