Wild Cat by Christine Feehan Page A

she’d been suspicious because the army of men who worked for him clearly carried guns and did little more, it seemed, than watch both her grandfather and her closely. She had come to believe they were bodyguards, there to protect them, and even if they completely ruined any chance of dating, or having friends, they gave her grandfather peace of mind. Now she knew none of that was the truth.
    Nothing she had believed had been the truth. Elijah was a part of that world. In fact, the Feds had investigated his family business
numerous
times. He’d always managed to come out without them finding the evidence they werecertain was there, but everyone knew his family’s reputation. She had made herself believe he was just like her grandfather, wealthy, an astute businessman who had made enemies on the way. Her grandfather was guilty, so there was no doubt in her mind that Elijah was guilty.
    â€œI’m not pregnant.” She announced it firmly through her tears, into her clenched fist and the knuckles she’d bitten. Her hands were sore when she curled her fingers but she needed something to focus on.
    â€œOkay, baby.” He pressed a kiss to her nape.
    She closed her eyes. If he’d argued, there might have been a possibility he just threw that out there. She didn’t know how many days had passed while the fever raged and she’d been in and out, but she knew some of the bruises had really faded and that meant some time had passed. Still, surely they couldn’t know for certain, but he wasn’t arguing with her. That was just plain scary.
    â€œElijah.” She said his name softly. A protest. “Please.” Fresh tears burned her eyes. He had to say he was lying. He just had to.
    He held her closer, shifting so that her buttocks were pressed tightly against his front. She could feel him, the very male part of him. She should have felt threatened, but instead, something inside of her settled. It was all too much. She couldn’t fight on every front, nor could she process everything that had happened to her. She just couldn’t. If he’d just take it back, tell her it wasn’t true, that she wasn’t pregnant, she could cope—at least for the next few minutes.
    â€œSiena, sweetheart, just stop thinking. Let it go. Drake Donovan is here and our team has you completely surrounded. No one can get to you. Your job is just to heal.”
    She moistened her lips. She remembered something else he’d done. She’d surfaced a couple of times to the feel of his finger rubbing something soothing on her dry lips. He’d leaned into her and brushed a kiss across her forehead. Gently. She couldn’t quite reconcile the two men. Elijah was roughand demanding. Bossy. Arrogant. The man who braided her hair and applied a lip balm was gentle and sweet. She
had
to have been dreaming, but if so, why was he lying on the bed with her holding her so gently, so careful of her injuries? Why was he pressing a soft kiss onto her nape?
    The door opened. She stiffened, her heart accelerating. She was turned away from the door out of necessity and it was truly frightening not to know who had entered, but Elijah didn’t move.
    â€œRelax, baby. It’s just Drake.”
    The man came around the bed to lean down toward her. He didn’t make a sound. He had the hard, powerful look of the leopard she was coming to recognize, but his eyes were kind. Tender even. He smiled at her.
    â€œI’m Drake Donovan.”
    The moment she saw him, fresh tears started. She hadn’t cried so much since the time she’d been kidnapped. She covered her face with her hand. “Thank you for coming.” But what was he doing there? Who had called him? “I want . . .” She sniffed. “To hire . . .” She couldn’t stop the tears coursing down her cheeks so she gave up trying, accepting that she needed to cry. “You,” she managed to get