As they headed toward the entrance, he let his hand slide down her back and over her round, firm bottom, seeking the line of her underwear. She had worn garters and heels just as he’d asked, but he could just make out the outline of very thin panties clinging to the shape of her. It amazed him, with so much at stake, the cat in him still needed the reassurance of her commitment to him, her absolute loyalty. He had to know at all times that he was her choice, that she belonged to him.

What the hell was wrong with him? Where was his control and discipline? He was shaky at best, had been for the last hour or two, and it was slowly getting worse. The longer he was in her company, the worse the sensations grew. If this party weren’t so important he would have turned around and taken them home and out of harm’s way, but his businesses were under attack. Employees had been bribed. Even one of his secretaries, who had been with him for years, had reported that she’d been approached by Trent’s lawyer to feed them information. And now his family had been threatened. For what?

It hadn’t surprised him to learn that Susan Hindman’s governess was related to Trent and she’d been acting on his orders. She reeked of cat. A shifter who couldn’t shift. He had put private detectives on her and learned she was one of Trent’s nieces who regularly slept with him. She would do anything for him, including sleep with the senator to cement political connections for Trent. It still didn’t explain why she had been ordered to bug his house phone. Trent would have known he’d never talk business on his house phone. What were they looking for? What information did they have that Jake didn’t?

He leaned down to press his mouth against Emma’s ear, not certain whether he needed the contact or she did. “Are you ready, honey?”

She looked up at him and smiled. His stomach knotted. She managed to look serene in spite of her nerves. “Let’s get it over with so we can be alone. I dressed for you tonight, not for them.”

A small smile formed and the knots in his gut slowly unraveled. “You left your panties on.”

“True, but I can take them off when we leave.”

He knew she was giving him something else to think about—a secret shared. His heart did a funny little flip. “I like your thinking.” He let his hand slip along her bare back and high up around to slip inside the material and stroke the side of her breast. “I’m going to have a hard-on all night now just thinking about you taking off your panties and handing them to me.”

“Just think how good you’re going to feel when I actually do it,” she teased.

Jake didn’t have to knock on the door; it was opened as they approached and Joshua, Conner and Drake fell into step with them. His hand was back in place, at the small of her back, guiding her inside. The moment he stepped inside, the scent of male cat was heavy in the room. Even the fragrance of perfume couldn’t drown out the smell. Jake’s cat slammed hard against his skin, leaping and raking, snarling to get out, to remove Emma from the close proximity of any other male. He was going to have a difficult time tonight. She smelled alluring, her body hot as he moved her through the room, his hand on her back, a warning growl rumbling in his chest.

They had brought in male leopards! Rivals. They must have done it on purpose. They had to know about the madness, then, and wanted him to lose control. This was going to be an ordeal of wills, of nerves, a clash that would be win or lose everything. How many enemies were in the room? The Bingleys weren’t leopard. Only the Bannaconnis and Trents were, but Drake and Joshua had told him there were some leopards willing to be employed by anyone paying top dollar for their services.

Drake jerked his head, indicating two men lounging in the corner, watching them enter. He obviously recognized them.

The room was crowded and Jake was greeted immediately as they wove their way through the throng and toward the bar. He spotted Cathy and Ryan Bannaconni and Josiah Trent talking together in the far corner. He knew they’d be there. He’d braced himself for seeing them. “In the corner, the enemies, and even worse than them, Josiah Trent,” he said to Emma. “Do not make the mistake of being alone with them. Stay in the middle of the room, out in public.”

So many people crowded around them, eager to meet Emma, as he’d known they would be. He kept her close as they moved around throughout the evening, talking briefly to as many people as he could, trying to get a feel for what the undercurrents were. Conspiracy. He smelled it. Tasted it. Inevitably, as the night wore on, he heard the soft whisper of it and satisfaction slid through him.

“I think I’ve found what I was looking for, Emma. I’m going to join the group of men over by the window and lead them into talking about real estate. Sooner or later they’ll ask me if I’m willing to sell my company. You’d be a major distraction to all of us, me especially. I need to concentrate on nuances. I’ll get you a glass of wine and I want you to sit on the couch in the middle of the room. People will come up and talk to you, probably even the enemies, so if you can’t handle it, give me a signal and I’ll get you out of the situation.”

“But you need time.”

“As much time as you can buy me.”

“So, really, I’m the distraction to keep your enemies away from you.”

He nodded. “I hate having to use you like this, but no one is going to talk if Trent or Cathy and Ryan are in on the conversation. The moment you sit down and I leave you, the three of them will be unable to resist and they’ll swarm around you like bees to honey.”