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she felt compelled to help her. They were all each other had in the world. That had been her excuse all these years even though Jade was sure that if Grammy were here she’d be telling her to let Noelle sink or swim on her own. The next time that’s exactly what she panned to do.
    But for now she’d made a deal.
    With Lincoln Donovan.
    Eight years ago she’d been young and in lust. Now she was older, wiser. This was a business deal and nothing else. Hence the reason she’d killed those dinner plans. Linc needed a date for his parents’ festivities. Well, those festivities hadn’t begun yet. Therefore, there was no need for them to spend time together.
    That coupled with the fact that she detested being pushed around. When a man wanted to have dinner with a woman, the normal route was to ask. He’d told her and she’d showed him differently. She smiled smugly and wrenched open the freezer.
    “So who was the winner again?” she asked as she frowned at three neat stacks of frozen meals. She had a large variety since this was what her complete diet consisted of, but tonight, for some reason, chicken and broccoli fettuccine just didn’t sound appetizing.
    A hard knock at the door had her nearly jumping out of her skin. And when she’d made her way across the room to pull it open that same skin began to heat instantly.
    Her throat went dry as her gaze rested on Linc’s wide shoulders completely filling the tiny doorway. He looked ominous, foreboding and commanding dressed in all brown, glowering at her as if she’d just stolen something from him.
    Jade squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “Can I help you?”
    His gaze raked over her in a way that left her feeling naked and exposed and she instinctively regretted the question.
    Linc cleared his throat. “We had dinner plans,” he said gruffly.
    “No, you had dinner plans. I went shopping and came home.”
    “I thought it was understood that we were staying at the hotel.”
    “You’re staying at the hotel. I have a home, thank you very much,” she quipped.
    He gave an exasperated sigh. “Can I come in?”
    “No,” she said quickly.
    “Jade?”
    It was her turn to sigh just before stepping aside and allowing him entrance. “What are you doing here?” she asked, closing the door behind her.
    “As I said, we had dinner plans.”
    She was instantly uncomfortable as she watched him peruse her apartment. It wasn’t a hovel by any means but Jade was positive it was below Lincoln Donovan’s standards. Just as she’d always been.
    “And you left this in the car.”
    His voice interrupted the beginnings of her pity party and she looked down at his outstretched hand.
    “Oh,” she said then reached for the necklace. “It must have fallen off.”
    Before she could take it from him Linc pulled his hand back. “Was it a gift from someone special?”
    She blinked wondering why he’d asked. “From Grammy. I mean, my grandmother.”
    He nodded, profoundly relieved that it wasn’t from a man. He looked down at the necklace in his hand then back at her. “The clasp is broken.”
    Jade reached for the necklace again. Since his arrival it had become increasingly harder for her to breathe. She feared his large form simply took up too much space in her small apartment. She had to get him out of here as quickly as possible. “I’ll have it fixed.”
    “I’ll take care of it,” he said simply then slipped the necklace into his pocket. “I’m hungry. Can we go to dinner now?”
    Jade opened her mouth to speak then quickly closed it again. He’d asked her nicely this time, his voice velvety smooth as his gaze bore through her. She didn’t know how to respond.
    “Are you hungry, Jade?”
    “Ah…I…I’m not dressed for dinner,” she croaked. Damn, he was getting to her again. She looked down at her robe that had begun to gape a bit at her chest. Hastily she pulled it closed then cinched the belt around her waist.
    Linc followed her gaze. “I’m