Mine to Crave (Mine #4)(72)

“No one is trying anything!” Jasmine’s voice rose as she shoved her way between them. The light glinted off her hair. Blonde and shorter than before. Still sexy. Hell, the woman would always be sexy to him, but he missed that deep red of her hair. He wanted her back the way she’d been. He wanted her…just the way she was before.

Her secrets. Her lies. He just wanted her.

The floor creaked as Noah stepped forward. Noah, who’d been far too quiet on this whole mission. “Is it true?” Noah asked, his eyes locked on Jasmine. “Are you my sister?”

Her lips parted in surprise then her gaze flew right to Drake. He saw pain in her stare. Betrayal? No, hell, no, he hadn’t betrayed her. “I thought you were dead! I wasn’t really thinking of controlling my mouth.” Sonofabitch. He’d only thought of her. Drake made himself take a few steps back. He had to get his control—and hold onto it.

She didn’t understand just how much things had changed for him. For them. She would.

“Is it true?” Noah was less than a foot away from Jasmine.

Her open mouth closed. She shrugged. A careless move, even as her chin lifted a bit into the air. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Trace stood near the fireplace. The unlit fireplace. “A DNA test will answer your question quick enough, Noah.”

Noah nodded. “Yes, it will.”

Jasmine backed up a bit. When she retreated, Drake noticed that both Victor and Saxon advanced, as if they’d protect her.

What had Victor snarled at him earlier?

I’m her brother! Me and Sax! We’re the ones who’ve always been there for her!

“Is that why you all followed me?” Jasmine’s voice was muted. Hurt. “Because you wanted to test my DNA and see if I was a match for Noah?”

Noah’s eyes flashed. “I want to know if you’re my family.”

“You have a family,” Jasmine said softly. “I saw your wedding picture. A beautiful wife who loves you. You don’t…you don’t need me.”

“Let me be the judge of what I need.” Noah’s voice was gruff and his eyes glinted with emotion. “Are you my sister?”

Almost miserably, Jasmine nodded.

He crept closer to her. “H-how?”

Jasmine’s lips quirked at that. Her dimples flashed, and Drake could tell by the expression on Noah’s face that her smile had just gotten to him.

The way it got me?

“The usual way babies are made.” Her smile slipped away. “Our mother had you first. She was sixteen then, and she gave you up. I-I have a picture of you as a baby. It’s upstairs. In my room. It’s you and the people who adopted you.” Her voice lowered. “That’s how I found you. That picture.”

Noah’s face whitened. So much emotion blazed in his eyes. “She kept you?”

There was an odd note in Noah’s voice. Confusion. Pain. And as much as Drake wanted to rush forward and grab Jasmine, to hold her tight, he knew that Noah needed this time.

So did Jasmine.

Even Saxon and Victor had retreated a bit, though they still glowered suspiciously at Drake. And as for Trace…he was at the window, keeping guard. Always on alert.

“She kept me,” Jasmine said with a slow nod. “I think maybe…at first…she had plans for us. Dreams. Because she regretted letting you go. She used to cry about that. About you.”

Noah’s face was a tense mask.

“It was better…for you not to be there.” Jasmine’s voice was so careful, and Drake knew that she wasn’t going to tell Noah the full truth about her mother. She doesn’t want to hurt him. “Life wasn’t easy then. The parents you had—they loved you, and they gave you a good life. You shouldn’t…you shouldn’t—”

“I already know,” Noah said softly, cutting through her words.

Her lashes flickered.

“Weston Securities,” Noah murmured. “You think I didn’t find out everything I could about you…and her…as soon as Drake told me?”

Now Saxon and Victor stepped forward once more, their protective instincts obviously aroused. I’m her brother! Me and Sax!

Noah waved them back, not looking even a bit intimidated. “I wish I’d known about you. I would have come for you.”

Her gaze fell to the floor. “Maybe you should do that DNA test. Make sure I’m who you think—”

Noah caught her chin and tipped her head back. “I would have come for you.”

A tear slid down Jasmine’s cheek. “I didn’t want to put you at risk.” Her attention shifted to Drake. “I didn’t want to put any of you at risk.”

“Yeah, well…” Victor’s voice had roughened. “Looks like they put themselves at risk. And now they’ve got you right back in the crossfire, too.” His furious stare was directed at Drake. “Maxwell Case thought she was dead. Everyone was supposed to think she’d burned in that fire. But now you’re here, and you could’ve tipped off Case!”

“We were careful.” It was Trace who replied. Drake was too busy staring at Jasmine. She’d just hurriedly wiped away the tear on her cheek. He hated to see her cry. “No one followed us.”

“You sure about that? Cause I’m not buying that story!” Victor started to pace. “We need to move her to a new safe house. Get her out of here so we can be sure this place wasn’t compromised.” He nodded toward Saxon. “Let’s get her bag and start moving her out of here.”