After making love the first time, Josh had pulled her into his arms and ordered her to rest. Safe in his embrace, she’d dozed off, only to wake an hour later to his hands caressing her breasts and his warm, damp breath on her neck. Instinctively, her body came alive for him and she turned toward the heat he generated, her legs automatically parting for him to slide in between. He loved her in more ways then she could ever have imagined, each time taking her higher, satisfying a hunger that had been building for years.
They’d showered together, scrubbing each other’s backs, chests, bellies, thighs, and other tender, sensitive areas. The water steamed, Josh’s hands glided over slick skin, and his mouth and tongue started the feverish need again. This time was desperate and a little rough as he took her against the tiled shower wall, his hips pumping repeatedly, frantically, as she arched to meet his deep thrusts. His mouth was just as bruising, marking her in the most primitive sense. His eyes glowed hotly, and his hands gripped her buttocks, pushing, pulling, establishing a relentless sensual slide that elicited those strong, feminine contractions from the depths of her womb. And then he came, head thrown back, eyes closed, a low, ragged groan ripping from his chest.
Satiated, he’d slid to his knees, taking her with him so she straddled his hips and their bodies remained joined. The water beat down on his back, drizzling over them like rain. They kissed and touched, loath to separate. Finally, the water grew chilled, forcing them to face the inevitable.
They dressed, she in a long black velvet gown that left her shoulders bare to display the dazzling Ivanov necklace, and Josh in the tuxedo he’d rented for the weekend. He’d secured his revolver beneath his pant leg at his ankle, then silently tended to Paige’s means of self-defense. Slipping his hand into the sexy slit of her dress that reached to just above the knee, he strapped a small holster around her thigh to hold her derringer. His fingers had lingered, stroking her skin, as if one last touch would sustain him for the rest of his life.
“Carranza is expecting so many people, I’m sure we can slip in unnoticed,” Josh said as they neared the elegant mansion.
His deep, reassuring voice dissolved the intimate thoughts flitting through Paige’s mind. She nodded, her gaze on Carranza’s sprawling manor, her throat too tight to speak. Lights glittered from the windows and lilting music drifted out the second-story balcony doors. Her stomach churned with apprehension and she wished the awful sensation away. She had to remain calm and focused-emotional strength would carry her through this ordeal. She realized that this man by her side gave her that courage.
About ten yards away from the back entrance to the mansion, Josh stopped and abruptly pulled her into his arms, kissing her one last time. She returned the embrace, uncaring who witnessed the exchange. His heart beat rapidly beneath the palm she pressed to his chest, matching the cadence of her own pulse.
He lifted his mouth and stared down at her, his eyes soft and infinitely tender. Warm fingers traced the outline of the Ivanov necklace to where it formed a V near her cleavage. She’d worn her hair up, and a slight breeze tickled the fine hairs at the back of her neck.
“You look beautiful,” he murmured.
She managed a smile and brushed back a lock of dark hair that had fallen over his brow. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
He cocked his head and offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
Drawing a deep fortifying breath, she nodded and looped her hand through his forearm. He led the way inside, following the stream of people heading up a spiral staircase to the second level of the mansion, a section of which was filled with round tables draped in fine linen, and set with gleaming silver and gold-rimmed china. A huge parquet dance floor dominated the other half of the ballroom.
The place was overflowing with men in black tuxedos and custom-made suits, and women dressed in elegant gowns and fabulous glittering jewels. Paige’s necklace was by far the most stunning, the diamonds and emeralds winking under the light the crystal chandelier cast off. Men nodded as she and Josh mingled, and women stared, their gazes moving from the Ivanov piece to her face, then on to Josh, where their smiles turned decidedly friendly. Josh smiled back, though the possessive way he touched her made it more than clear that his interest was captured solely by her.
Paige felt like a fraud in this elite gathering, and very uncomfortable. The necklace hung like a hundred pound weight around her throat, and she tried not to think about the compact gun pressed so snugly against her thigh.
Jacketed waiters passed with trays of champagne and appetizers, making brief eye contact with Josh and leaving Paige to wonder if they were Metro-Dade officers. Josh retrieved two crystal goblets of the fizzing liquid and handed one to her, for appearances’ sake, she assumed. Not daring to taste any more than a few drops on her tongue, she pretended to sip the bubbling drink. She wanted nothing to cloud her judgment or reflexes.
A five-piece band played jazz music, laughter filled the room, and Paige struggled to keep at bay the anxiety creeping over her. She wanted this confrontation over and done with, but knew Carranza would pursue the necklace in his own time. She couldn’t imagine how he would confiscate the Ivanov piece with so many people around to witness an exchange. According to Reynolds’s plan, she wasn’t to take the necklace off, but had been instructed to bait him so he’d be forced to resort to extreme measures that would put him in a position to be prosecuted.
“Ah, there you are, Paige.” Carranza’s smooth voice drifted from behind them. “I’ve been looking for you.”
Paige’s heart leapt. Lifting her lips in a semblance of a smile, she and Josh turned to find Victor and a shorter man with a severely receding hairline standing beside him. Both were dressed in black tuxedos, and Paige decided the sinister color suited them.
Carranza’s gaze touched on the necklace, then traveled up to meet her eyes. “I take it your headache is gone?”
“Yes, I feel much better.” Most likely, if he’d bugged the room, he knew exactly how she and Josh had spent the afternoon-living up to the pretense of lovers. His congenial expression, however, didn’t give away a thing.
“Good.” Picking up her hand, he patted it affectionately. Her skin crawled, and she resisted the urge to jerk her fingers from his. “It would be a shame if you didn’t enjoy the evening because you weren’t feeling well.” Releasing her hand, he inclined his head toward Josh. “Mr. Bennett, are you enjoying yourself?”
“Immensely.” Josh saluted Carranza with his glass of champagne and smiled indulgently. “The amenities are outstanding.”
If their performance hadn’t been so crucial, Paige would have elbowed Josh in the ribs for that remark.
Carranza stared at Josh for a long moment, and though he smiled, there was a sudden dark glint in his eyes that made Paige nervous. Then he turned toward the older man beside him. “Paige, I’d like you to meet Alfred, my personal appraiser. Alfred, this is Paige Montgomery, proprietress of the Wild Rose, the boutique I expressed an interest in for Bridget.”
“It’s a pleasure.” Alfred shook her hand, then Josh’s, his beady gaze drawn to the diamonds and emeralds draped over her throat. “The necklace is exquisite,” he agreed, a dark brow rising. “I can see why Bridget wants it for herself.”
“She’s been pouting ever since she saw it in a portrait Paige has hanging in her boutique.” A waiter passed with a tray of appetizers, which they all declined. Carranza glanced back at Paige. “Would you mind if Alfred has a closer look at your necklace?”
She smiled sweetly and lightly touched the jewels. “I’d rather not take it off.”
Carranza didn’t look pleased by her refusal, but quickly covered up his irritation and offered an alternate suggestion. “Very well, he can give it a quick appraisal while you’re wearing it.”
His audacity shouldn’t have surprised her, and as much as she wanted to deny his request so she didn’t have to endure his appraiser groping the necklace and her neck, she had no justifiable reason to do so.
Alfred lifted a jeweler’s loupe to his eye, and took hold of the diamond and emeralds to inspect them. Paige stiffened as his cold fingers brushed her skin, and tried desperately not to shudder in revulsion. Josh stood beside her, looking appropriately bored.
Finally, Alfred released the necklace and stepped back, giving Carranza a slight nod. “It’s a very fine piece,” he declared.
A satisfied smile touched Victor’s mouth. His narrowed gaze scanned the crowd of people, and finding Bridget holding court amongst a cluster of men, he motioned for her. She glided toward them, her sleek body wrapped in a black sheath that displayed every curve.
She nodded to Paige, gave Josh a sultry once-over, then glanced up at Carranza.
Victor smiled at her. “Pussycat, are you sure this is the necklace you want?”
She eyed the diamonds and emeralds, her full lips pursing petulantly. “I’m sure. Whatever it costs, I want this
