the boutique and kicked her pulse up a notch. “Don’t worry, he won’t put you on the spot with awkward questions. If anything, he’ll ask me about the case privately.”
“I appreciate that.” She didn’t mind discussing Anthony’s betrayal with Josh, but felt uncomfortable doing so with Nick. “Since your parents aren’t expecting us, what are we going to do if they aren’t home?”
“I have a key to the house, and we’ll be alone.” His brows bobbed mischievously. “The possibilities are endless.” His voice dropped, filling with sexy male undertones.
Those intimate “possibilities” swirled in her mind, prompting thoughts of the sweet, drugging kiss he’d given her that morning and how reluctant she’d been for it to end. She’d wanted to feel his hands on her breasts, stroking her belly. Wanted him to ease the ache lingering from that strange, erotic dream she’d had before he’d woken her with the delicious smells of breakfast Even now, she felt unfulfilled, wanting Josh in a way she had no business entertaining. Not when she intended to leave him.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the three bedroom house Josh’s parents had built on a prime piece of land after Nick’s retirement from the force five years ago. Ten acres of woods surrounded the charming old-style Victorian home, and a small stable nearby connected to a fenced-in pasture, where two beautiful quarterhorses grazed. The atmosphere was peaceful and serene.
Before either one of them could exit the car, his slender, petite mother was out of the house and heading down the porch stairs. A huge smile wreathed a pretty face framed by short, silky hair the same shade as Josh’s, and dark eyes twinkled with pure delight
“What a lovely surprise!” Reaching Paige as she stepped from the Volvo, the older woman wrapped he in an affectionate hug. “It’s so good to see you, dear.”
Paige closed her eyes, absorbing the warm embrace before letting the other woman go. She smiled. “It’s good to see you, too, Anna.”
Anna’s gaze narrowed in mock reprimand, and she shook a chastising finger at her. “You haven’t visited in months!”
“She’s been working too hard,” Josh interjected as he rounded the vehicle, saving Paige from fabricating ai excuse for her absence. “So I decided to kidnap her and bring her here for some forced R and R.”
“And you, Joshua Michael,” Anna admonished turning to her son to give him equal treatment. “You haven’t called in weeks, let alone returned the messages I left on your answering machine.”
Josh ducked his head sheepishly, making him appear adorably contrite. “I’ve been busy, Ma.”
“Hmmph.” Anna’s expression softened, but she wasn’t completely ready to forgive. “Too busy to call your mother to let her know you’re doing okay?”
Josh rolled his eyes and gave Anna a hug that seemed to swallow her up whole within his broad chest, the planted a kiss on her cheek. “Stop already, Ma. You’re embarrassing me in front of Paige. I promise it won’ happen again.”
She gave him a curt, satisfied nod. “Be sure that i doesn’t.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured, shooting Paige a co vert, I-can’t-believe-she’s-doing-this-to-me-in-front-of-you kind of look.
Paige nearly chuckled at Josh’s embarrassment, but didn’t think he’d appreciate her laughing at his expense. Paige admired the other woman. She certainly knew how to handle her boys and keep them in line-with a firm hand and a loving heart.
“Your father is down in the stables. Go on and get him and don’t give him a heart attack by sneaking up on him. He’s getting old and isn’t as spry as he used to be.” She accompanied the outrageous lie with a sly smile and shooed Josh in that direction. “Paige and I are going into the house for a glass of iced tea and some girl talk. I’ll call Vince and Joel and see if they can make it for dinner tonight.”
'I’d like that.” Josh’s warm gaze touched on Paige, then returned to his mother. ”If you don’t mind, Ma, we’d like to stay overnight.”
Anna looked properly affronted. “Of course I don’t mind! That’s what the guest room is for, though you’ll be sleeping on the couch.”
“That’s fine,” he conceded with a grin.
Paige followed Anna into her large, spacious kitchen. Anna and Nick lived alone in the custom-built house, but Anna felt that a large cooking and eating area was a necessity, because that’s where her family always socialized during get-togethers. Strong family ties, good authentic Italian food and unconditional love were the bonds that held the Marchianos together. Paige loved the other woman’s traditional values and how she’d managed to instill in her children the same ideals and morals:
Anna insisted Paige make herself at home, and Paige felt comfortable enough to do so. While she poured each of them a glass of tea, Anna phoned Joel and gave him a similar guilt-inducing spiel about not stopping by often enough when he only lived an hour away. Before she hung up, she’d secured Joel’s attendance for dinner. Though Vince was on duty until six that evening, his wife, Audrey, promised to be by soon with the children. Tyne and Gina both lived too far away to make such an impromptu trip.
Anna didn’t allow Paige’s mind or hands to remain idle, which she silently appreciated. They worked together to prepare dinner while talking companionably about nothing in particular. Anna’s idea of “throwing something together” consisted of a huge pot of homemade spaghetti sauce with sausage and her special blend of herbs, her own fresh noodles, a large salad-which had come straight out of her garden-and a loaf of garlic bread. And for dessert, a German chocolate cake made from scratch.
Josh and Nick finally ambled up to the house and into the kitchen, where each of them sampled the various dishes in progress. Anna slapped Nick’s hand as he attempted to snag a radish from the salad, and Josh got “the look” from his mother for trying to distract Paige while she frosted the cake so he could sneak a taste of the icing. Apparently, Anna knew how her husband and son operated, and kept an eye on each.
Josh leaned against the counter next to Paige, glanced over his shoulder to make sure his mother was otherwise occupied, and dragged a finger along the rim of the bowl filled with frosting to come away with a big blob of the confection. He popped it into his mouth and winked at her.
Paige couldn’t help but grin at his mischievous behavior. “Your mom mentioned German chocolate is your favorite.”
“Yep.” He swiped another taste. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Immensely.” She’d been so busy with Anna, she hadn’t had time for any unpleasant thoughts. It was a nice change of pace. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“No thanks necessary,” he said, his voice low and incredibly gentle. “I’d do anything to keep you smiling, Paige.”
Paige’s heart swelled at the sweet sentiment, and a lump formed in her throat. If only things were that simple, she thought. If only her life wasn’t so complex and she didn’t need things Josh couldn’t offer her, like stability and security.
He leaned close, so his breath caressed her cheek when he spoke. “Stop thinking so much, sweetheart, because it makes you frown, and I won’t allow it this weekend.” He followed up that soft demand with a quick, warm kiss on her lips that lingered long after he’d straightened.
Shocked at his brazen display with his parents in the room, Paige’s gaze darted to Anna and Nick, who stood by the stove. She felt confident neither of them had witnessed the brief, intimate exchange between her and Josh as Anna was busy feeding her husband a spoonful of the spaghetti sauce and asking for his opinion.
Shaking off the tingling sensation coursing along the surface of her skin, Paige attempted to ignore Josh in hopes that he’d go away. No such luck. He stood there, watching her. Feeling the heat of his gaze on her, she forced herself to concentrate on the task of spreading the frosting evenly on top of the cake. Absently, she ran her tongue across her sticky bottom lip, tasting chocolate and the unique, arousing flavor of Josh. Her stomach tumbled and tightened.
“You’ve got a little more, right here at the corner,” he murmured, slowly gliding his thumb across her mouth. Sure enough, he’d wiped away a smudge of frosting, which he promptly sucked off his thumb, his eyes dark as they held hers.
The breath all but whooshed out of her lungs, and she had the irrepressible urge to throw caution to the wind and give in to the desire that tied her so strongly to Josh-consequences be damned. For weeks she’d resisted him- for years, really-and denying something so intrinsic was becoming more difficult with each passing day. Yet wanting him held so many risks, and the thought of loving him inundated her with so many fears.
