Carmen glanced up at the man who’d silently appeared next to her.
Matthew Jacobs had a vague resemblance to his younger brother, but everything about him was . . . more.
His features were more finely carved, his hair was a rich mahogany and tousled in a way that made him look like some woman had just run her fingers through it. He had a shadow of whiskers on his square jaw and he was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a silver cashmere sweater. His green eyes glittered with a roguish sense of humor. But when he smiled, he abruptly reminded Carmen of a shark.
All pearly white teeth and ruthless hunger.
She shivered, wondering if it was her imagination that was causing her to look at her own family like they were dangerous animals.
“Matthew, what are you doing here?” Baylor demanded, roughly knocking his brother’s hand off his shoulder.
“Cleaning up your mess, as usual,” Matthew said, his gaze never wavering from Carmen.
“You—” Baylor halted, before he cleared his throat and attempted to disguise his obvious dislike for Matthew. “Carmen, you remember my brother?”
“Of course,” she said. “Hello, Matthew.”
“Exquisite,” he said, his gaze skimming over her face before his interest turned to the silent man at her side. “And Mr. Archer.”
“Please, call me Griff.”
“Griff,” Matthew agreed, holding out his hand. “This is quite an honor. My brother will tell you I’m not much of a businessman, but even I’ve heard of you.”
Griff rose to shake hands before sliding back into his seat, his arm moving to rest across her shoulders. She didn’t mind. Confronting her cousins was just as difficult as she’d expected it to be.
“I’m not sure if that’s good or bad,” he said.
“Good for you, and bad for me.” Matthew flashed his shark smile. “Once the word that you’re in town gets around you’ll be inundated with invitations, and I’ll be a forgotten has-been.”
“I’m not here to party,” Griff said.
Matthew shrugged. “No, according to my frantic father and bumbling brother, you’re here to steal away our fortune.”
“Matthew,” Baylor snapped, his face flushed.
Carmen broke into the looming squabble. “I assume you’ve come here to ask the same questions?”
Matthew raised a hand to press it to the center of his chest in a gesture of sincerity.
“No, I’m here to welcome my cousin to our home,” he assured her. “I’m very happy to have you here, my dear, and I personally hope you’ll consider staying so we can have a proper reunion.”
She hid her grimace. Matthew had a slick charm that she’d encountered too many times during her book tour.
“I plan to come to lunch tomorrow,” she told him.
“Good. Perhaps if you stay a few more days we could plan a proper celebration—”
“I thought you were skiing in Aspen after Christmas?” Baylor interrupted.
Matthew snapped his fingers, as if he’d just remembered his plans.
“That’s right.” He sent Carmen a regretful glance. “I’m afraid I already have my reservations.”
“Please don’t change them on my account,” Carmen said, her interest captured by his casual words.
“We’ll still have tomorrow,” Matthew said.
“Do you travel a lot?” she asked.
Matthew shrugged. “Sometimes for business.” There was a loud snort from Baylor. Matthew chuckled. “Mostly for pleasure,” he admitted.
“I’ve been crossing the country for the past year.” She offered an encouraging smile, as if she was fascinated by his journeys. “I’m surprised we’ve never bumped into each other.”
“Actually, we were in the same city. At least for a few hours,” he surprisingly told her.
Her heart missed a beat and she felt Griff stiffen at her side. “Really?”
“Yes. I was in Chicago for the opening of a friend’s nightclub when I saw you on the local television station talking about your book.”
Carmen frowned. Her book signing in Chicago had been over six months ago.
“Why didn’t you contact me?” she asked.
His smile remained, but she sensed a sudden wariness. He was hiding something.
“I thought about calling the station to get your number, but I was afraid they would think I was some weirdo.” He lifted his hands in a dismissive gesture. “And besides, I wasn’t sure you would even want to see me.”
With a sharp motion, Baylor was on his feet. Was he afraid that Carmen could sense Matthew was lying?
“We should go,” the younger man announced.
Matthew scowled. “We haven’t had a drink yet.”
“I’m sure if we checked your blood alcohol it would be over the limit from last night,” Baylor mocked.
Genuine annoyance tightened the older man’s handsome features. “You nag like a wife. It’s no wonder I’ve never wanted to get married.”
Baylor grabbed his brother’s arm, sending Carmen an impatient glance.
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.
Her lips twitched. It was difficult to imagine how he could have made the words sound less enthusiastic.
“I can’t wait.”
Chapter Fourteen
Dusk came early. Along with it was a brisk breeze that made Hunter shiver as he paced along the edge of the lake. Not the sort of night anyone wanted to be out walking, but it was the only way he could be assured of privacy.
He needed to think. And revise his plan.
The last thing he’d expected was for Carrie to travel to Louisville. She was supposed to be in Baltimore, following the clues he’d so conveniently left for her. It should have taken her days. Even a week.
That would have given him time to do his duty here, and then travel to his next location to complete the next act in his ongoing drama.
His first impulse had been to kill her.
He had a feral desire to lay her in a nearby field, her golden curls spread around her head like a halo. Her eyes would be wide with wonderment as he revealed himself to her. Then, he would slowly slide a knife into her heart.
In the garden of memory, in the palace of dreams . . .
He would watch her blood seep into the ground. His ground.
And he would be free. Free of the past. Free of his nightmares.
But even as his dark desires had tried to lure him into a hasty finale, he’d resisted temptation.
There were still games to be played, he’d sternly reminded himself. And women to be savored. Not to mention a couple loose ends that needed to be tidied up.
No. He would have to wait. Which meant that his timeline was screwed. Pulling the phone from his pocket, he prepared to start making the necessary calls.
At the same time, he glanced around at his surroundings, a wistful regret tugging at his heart.
“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then,” he whispered.
December 25, Louisville, KY
Griff rose early. It wasn’t just that he’d wanted to sort through the vast amount of information his program had managed to collect overnight. Or the fact that he’d been awake since five o’clock with his body clenched with a frustrated desire.
The information, after all, could wait. And he’d made the conscious decision after returning to their room yesterday not to pursue the erotic awareness that sizzled between him and Carmen.
Being in Louisville was draining her spirit. He’d seen it in the slump of her shoulders and her weary expression as she’d wandered around the room.
When she came to his bed, he wanted her warm and willing and whole.
Nope, the reason he was up at the crack of dawn had been to make sure that the surprise he’d put into motion yesterday had arrived.
Dressed in a pair of black slacks and a charcoal sweater, he headed down to the lobby. Thirty minutes later he had a slender package tucked in his pocket and a tray loaded with coffee, scones, and pots of jam and cream.
He’d just returned to the room and crossed to set the tray on the low coffee table when a noise had him turning toward the guest bedroom.
Carmen.
Instant awareness heated his blood as his gaze skimmed over her damp curls and her rosy cheeks. His attention lowered to her slender body, which was covered by a terry cloth robe.