TouchofTopaz Read Free Page B

lot, smoothly
maneuvering on to the road. In the distance, Topaz could see the front of the
courthouse and the large group of reporters all clamoring for a quote. She knew
they were just doing their jobs, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.
    She shivered as a chill went through her. The nightmare was
almost over for her family and her life would soon go back to normal. She
absently toyed with the wide band of silver around her neck. It was set with
chunks of amber and was her favorite necklace, and not only because her sister
Sapphire had made it for her.
    She’d be happy to get back to work at Sisters’ Jewels, the
boutique she co-owned with her sisters. They sold accessories, scarves,
journals, stationery, cards and jewelry. Her sisters were more of the creative
force behind their line of products. Emerald used her creativity and artistic
ability to design their accessory line, while Sapphire designed all their
jewelry. But she ran the store itself on a day-to-day basis. It was her baby,
and she loved it. Her sisters might not like the business aspect of owning a
store, but she thrived on the challenge of making everything work.
    “You hungry?”
    John broke into her musings. “Not really.” She hadn’t been hungry
since the trial started.
    He gave her a quick frown before returning his gaze to the
road. “You need to eat. You’re too thin.”
    Her spine straightened and she shot him a haughty glare.
“Whether I eat or not is none of your business.”
    “Sure it is. It’s my job to keep you safe and healthy.”
    Topaz snorted. “I don’t think worrying about what I eat
falls under your job description.” She never missed a chance to remind herself
and him that this was a temporary situation, that she was a job. He’d leave her
soon, probably within a day or two, and she’d probably never see him again.
    Which was for the best. They had little in common, other
than explosive sex.
    She chewed on her bottom lip and desperately tried to put
that September afternoon out of her mind. One minute they’d been fighting, and
the next they’d been having smoking-hot sex in her foyer. She fought the urge
to fan her face with her hand and managed not to squirm in her seat. With
arousal slowly seeping through her body, it wasn’t so easy.
    John stopped the car and Topaz was pulled out of her reverie
and back to the present. They were in the parking lot of a small family-style
restaurant. “Come on. You might not need to eat, but I do.”
    John slid out of the car and came around to the passenger
side. Resigned, Topaz unlocked the door and climbed out when he opened the
door. He kept her close to him, blocking the bulk of her body with his own. She
could smell the earthy scent of his soap, mingled with the musky smell of the
man himself.
    Her nipples tightened beneath her bra and she was thankful
she was wearing a blouse, suit jacket and coat. He watched her like a hawk and
wouldn’t miss the telltale sign of her arousal.
    His left arm was around her waist and she felt the heat of
it through all the layers of her clothing. She concentrated on the restaurant
and not on the man beside her, which was next to impossible. John Knight was
not a man any woman ignored.
    He was rough looking and tough as nails, but he exuded an
animal magnetism, a sensuality that drew female attention wherever he went.
There was no denying he was a dominant male and Topaz knew he could easily take
over the life of any woman who was with him, and without even trying or meaning
to.
    It was one of the reasons she was determined not to fall
under his sensual spell again. She was afraid that the one time they’d been
together had already spoiled her for other men. After being with John, all the
other men who asked her out seemed less somehow. Which wasn’t fair to them.
    John held the door open for her and they walked inside. The
heat and wonderful aroma of food hit her and her stomach growled. When he
grinned at her, she knew he’d heard