Then she was the only one on the planet. Was she really too good to be true? Everyone wanted something. His fingers itched to shake her. He needed to get a private investigator to find out everything he could about little Ms. Reynolds. The more information he had on her, the better equipped he would be to control her.

“You won’t be taking advantage of me. If you prefer, we can keep an accounting of any expenses I incur and you can pay me back when you get your settlement. I don’t want you to be misled, though. The ranch is very secluded, very remote. We don’t get or encourage many visitors, although I have ranch hands who work regularly for me and live on the property, so you won’t be alone when I have to go away on business. We can also get a temporary housekeeper to keep you company. If you want the job when you’re stronger, looking after the house and Kyle and your baby, then of course you can have it.”

She frowned and nuzzled the baby again. “You’re offering me a job as a housekeeper, looking after your home and child?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know the first thing about babies, or what to do with them. You can get the diaper on him, which makes you one step ahead of me already.”

“Jake,” Emma said gently, “you can’t be so desperate you’d hire a perfect stranger to take care of your son. I don’t want to talk myself out of a job, but . . .”

“And a home,” he added.

“And a home,” she agreed, “especially when I’m in such a bad situation. But you don’t know me. How can you trust me with your child?”

“I don’t.”

The two softly spoken words were uttered with complete honesty. Emma’s head snapped up and her gaze collided with his. A chill went down her spine.

“I’m hiring a private investigator. And I’ll warn you, I don’t want to ever see or hear or find evidence of physical, psychological or emotional abuse toward my son. I would destroy anyone who harmed him.”

For the first time, she smiled—a genuine smile. It was small, but it was there. “At least you have some sense.”

“I knew I’d be hiring someone. I need a housekeeper and someone to look after Kyle. If that works for you after you have your baby and you enjoy Texas, then we’ll work that out. By that time you’ll probably have more money than me and won’t want to stay.” He shrugged, careful not to allow any expression on his face.

She didn’t have a prayer of escaping once he had her on the ranch. He’d find ways to keep her there. Even if she didn’t fall for him at first, there was Kyle. And then he’d make certain her child was crazy about him. And the clincher was sex. Hot, demanding sex. If there was one thing he was damned good at, it was sex and his ability to make a woman come crawling back for more.

Jake let his gaze move over her. She was beautiful in a wild, exotic way. Not the polished sophistication he was used to, but certainly she looked sexy with her unusual eyes and her flawless skin. Her mouth was the thing of fantasies. He had absolute confidence in himself when it came to tying her to him with sex. Even Shaina, who ultimately despised him, had kept coming back, begging him for more.

Sex was his ultimate weapon over a woman like Emma. She was sweet and innocent and very young in spite of having been married and experiencing a tragic loss. There was brightness in her, and a purity that made her easy prey for a skilled hunter—and he was skilled. By sundown he’d know everything about her, including her favorite flowers, favorite color, and every dark secret and hidden wish.

“I can’t hire a detective to investigate you,” Emma pointed out. “So it hardly seems fair.”

He caught her chin, the pad of his thumb sliding over her lips. “You need more moisturizer. Your lower lip is splitting. And you can read all about me in the tabloids. Would you like me to bring you back a few magazines? Most of the junk is pure bullshit, but there might be a word or two of truth in them.”

“Tempting. Very tempting. Reading and believing gossip is so me.”

He took the lip balm from the nightstand and ran his index finger through it, applying it to her sore mouth. “Kyle’s asleep. How’d you do that? When I hold him after he eats, he squirms around and usually spits up everywhere.” He said it more to distract her than to find out the information. He didn’t intend to be feeding the kid, let alone holding him after he ate, but he couldn’t imagine that she’d let him get away with applying lip balm.

Jake wanted her used to his touch. He had seven months—maybe even longer, after her baby was born—to get her accustomed to his close proximity. He didn’t want her thinking about it, or being at all aware of him until it was too late. He made certain no touch seemed sexual, only comforting. The more she accepted his touch and got used to him, the more she relied on him, the easier it would be to take over her life. He would teach her to accept him without her knowing what was happening. By the time she was ready to accept another relationship, her life would be tightly, irrevocably bound to his.

“I told you,” Emma’s soft voice sounded faintly amused. “His tummy will get upset and he’ll never go to sleep if you hold him out away from your body. You have to hold him close to you, up against your chest.” Her eyes went soft and more green than blue. “Are you afraid to hold him close?”

If it was possible, he might have flushed a deep red. He wanted to shake her again. He wasn’t afraid. The kid was just small. Jake was enormously strong. If he closed his fingers too tightly, he might injure the baby—that was all. It wasn’t fear. He wasn’t afraid of anything.