Free Full Bloom by Jayne Ann Krentz Page B

have a man. I love to see them panting like that. When are you going to start being nice to him?"
    Emily blinked in astonishment. She paused in the middle of attaching a purple-and-white tulip to an invisible wire that would hold it in position in the arrangement she was creating. "What on earth are you talking about? I am nice to him."
    "I mean, when are you going to put him out of his misery and go to bed with him?" Diane explained with mocking patience. "For that matter, when are you going to let him move in with you? The man's living in a hotel, for crying out loud. Have you any idea what that costs?"
    Emily flushed and rammed the wired tulip into place. "My relationship with Jacob is absolutely none of your business."
    "You're thinking about getting him out of that hotel, though, aren't you?" Diane asked slyly. "I can see the sparkle in your eyes every time he walks into the shop. I must admit, I never saw that particular glitter when Damon Morrell came around. Or any other man during the past two years, for that matter. Jacob Stone is different, isn't he?"
    "Jacob and I are friends," Emily said loftily as she wired another flower.
    "Sure. And one of these days you're going to be lovers. Watch out, Emily. The next thing you know, you'll be thinking of marriage."
    "Not a chance." Something happened to the tulip in Emily's hands. It crumpled in spite of the thin wire that was meant to hold it straight. She must have handled it too roughly, she realized.
    Diane eyed her friend curiously. "How can you be so sure there's no future with him?"
    "I didn't say there was no future, I just said there was no chance of marriage." Emily concentrated on wiring another tulip to take the place of the one that had just collapsed. This time she would be more careful.
    "Why?" Diane asked baldly.
    "For one thing, Jacob once told me he would never marry again."
    "Men change their minds."
    Emily shook her head. "Not Jacob. And even if he did, marriage would be out of the question for us. I don't even want to think about what my family might do if they thought I was going to marry Jacob Stone."
    Diane looked at her seriously. "You think they would try to put a stop to it?"
    "Of course. They would never approve of him in a million years."
    "They employed him. From what you've told me they trusted him with Ravenscroft secrets. Your family seems to like him."
    "That's got nothing to do with it," Emily said wryly. "The fact that he was once a trusted employee would not make him a good candidate for my husband in their eyes. My family has very definite ideas about the kind of man I should marry, and if I look as if I'm going to choose the wrong one, they'll do something about it."
    "Like what?"
    Emily shuddered and tried to speak lightly. "Oh, it depends. Buy him off or warn him off or find a way to prove he's only after my interest in RI. Whatever works. My family is very practical and straightforward in such matters." She knew some of her bitterness had leaked into her words.
    "You think they could buy off Jacob? Or warn him off? Or even prove he's after your shares and your seat on the board? I'm not so sure about that, Emily. Your Mr. Stone looks very solid to me. It would take a lot to deflect him from any course of action he chooses to take. It's hard to deflect a chunk of rock."
    "I'm not sure what they would try with Jacob, but believe me, they'd find something. I know my family."
    "What will they do if they find out you're just having an affair with him?" Diane pressed.
    "I'm not having an affair with him."
Not yet, at any rate
, she added silently, aware of the thrill of anticipation that shot through her at the thought.
    "But if you do get involved in that way?" Diane persisted.
    Emily hesitated, gnawing on her lower lip. "The best thing for all concerned would be for them not to find out," she finally decided softly, thinking it through. "If I were to have an affair with Jacob, I would keep it very, very quiet. When dealing with my