“You are so incredibly pretty.” He closed his palms over her then pressed his face against the softness of her breasts. “How did I resist doing this for all these years?” After pulling the shirt over her head, he paused to enjoy the view. “Sometimes, my lack of intelligence amazes even me.”
“You’ve been too busy ogling gorgeous models to even notice.”
Rising to his feet, he stripped off his own shirt and tossed it to the floor. “Don’t knock yourself, Paige. I noticed and have been dreading the day some other guy became the most important man in your life. You’re sweet and beautiful, inside and out.”
“I’ve been worried about the same thing.”
He unzipped his jeans and kicked them off his feet.
“That some woman would finally capture your undivided attention. Not that I didn’t want you to be happy.”
He let his boxers fall near Leo’s tail before crawling back into bed and pulling her into his arms. “Maybe that’s the most important thing we have going for us, knowing we each care enough to put the other’s needs first.”
“That’s what loving someone is all about, isn’t it?” Paige stretched against him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Yeah, it is.” He couldn’t talk anymore, could only give in to the need to be connected to Paige in the most intimate way possible.
When she reached one hand down between them, grazing tender flesh, he let out a yelp, but her objective was apparently the lace panties. After a brief struggle, there was nothing left between them.
For the moment, just holding Paige was enough. Until her lips found his, and the joy of kissing this woman filled his soul. Cupping her face in his hands, he tasted every crevice of her mouth as she wrapped her legs around him. When he pressed against her dampness, a modicum of sense stopped him.
“Protection.” His voice came out in a husky whisper. Reaching out, he fumbled for the bedside drawer and pulled it open. While he grabbed a condom and ripped open the packet, she strung kisses along the side of his neck. Goose bumps broke out across his body, and he swore softly when the damn rubber slipped out of his fingers.
“I would have thought you’d be better at the technicalities.” Her voice was tinged with a hint of humor.
“You’re killing me here.” With a herculean effort, he covered himself. “Finally.”
“We’ve waited this long. A few more minutes isn’t a deal breaker.”
“Maybe not, but right now, I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone or anything. Ever.” He kissed her again before pressing her into the mattress. “Ready?”
“Completely.” The breath left her as he pushed inside. “Oh, God.”
He paused to capture the moment in his mind, then closed his eyes and moved with Paige, building the feeling between them until he couldn’t take any more. When she cried out softly, he stopped trying to hold back and shook with the intensity of his release. Sprawled next to her a few moments later, a feeling of peace settled over him.
She laid her palm over his heart. “Quentin?”
“Hmm.”
“That was pretty darn special.”
He tightened his arm around her. “Yes, it was.”
* * *
Paige looped the strand of icicle lights over the hooks above the front door of her shop. When she moved the ladder to reach the next section, her ankle twinged a little.
“Should you be climbing that thing in heels?”
She glanced down at Nina, who was turning one of her big front windows into a winter wonderland filled with swirling snowflakes, frosted evergreens, and woodland creatures. “Most of the pain is gone, and the swelling was way down this morning, or I wouldn’t have been able to wear these boots. Anyway, two inches is hardly a heel.”
“If you say so.” Nina went back to painting. “I’m glad you didn’t hurt yourself any worse than you did.”
“Me, too.” Paige moved the ladder a few yards to drape lights above the finished second window depicting Santa’s sleigh, complete with reindeer, flying across a full moon.
“Are you going to tell me why you haven’t stopped smiling all morning? Not the reaction I would expect after injuring yourself.” Nina held her paintbrush poised above a rabbit. “Quentin looked awfully happy, too, before he hustled off to meet with his contractor. If I didn’t know better . . .”
Paige pulled her attention away and secured the end of the icicle strand at the edge of the building.
“Oh, my God, you did!”
She was saved from replying when a young woman clasping the hand of a toddler approached.
“Hi, welcome to Old Things. I hope you’ll excuse the mess.”
“No problem at all. The window scenes are absolutely gorgeous!”
Nina pulled a business card out of her back pocket and handed it to the woman. “If you’re in the market for original art, give me a call.”
“I’ll do that, but today I’m Christmas shopping for my mother-in-law. She loves antique teacups, and I heard you had a nice selection.”
Paige climbed down from the ladder. “I have some real beauties. Come on inside.”
By the time she’d helped her customer and wrapped her purchase in festive paper, Nina had finished the window. Paige was still debating what she intended to tell her. Thinking of Quentin in terms of more than friendship was still so new, she was almost afraid to talk about it.
When Nina entered the store, her eyes bright with curiosity, Paige brushed past her. “I need to bring in the ladder. I don’t want any bad luck if someone walks beneath it.”
“You’re so not escaping this conversation.”
“I didn’t figure I would, but I’ll bring in the ladder first. I need it to hang garlands from the top shelves to dress the place up in here.”
“Don’t forget the mistletoe. Although, maybe you won’t need any.”
“Funny.” Paige stepped out onto the sidewalk and took a moment to admire Nina’s finished artwork before folding the ladder. After carrying it inside, she leaned it against the counter. “You did a spectacular job. I have the best-looking windows on the block.”
“You’ll hand out my business cards to everyone who admires them.” Nina’s dark brows drew together over concerned eyes. “If you don’t want to talk about . . . whatever . . . you don’t have to.”
Paige stuffed her hands in her pockets. “Quentin and I decided to give more-than-friends a try. We figured we owe it to ourselves to see if we can make it work.”
“Well, it’s about damn time. I wondered when you’d finally cave in and go for it.”
“Give me some credit. You’ve seen the way he discards women. This could end in complete disaster.”
“Or be the best thing that ever happened to you.” Stepping closer, Nina slipped an arm around her and squeezed. “You’ve loved each other forever. Now you just have to figure out how to be in love.”
“Honestly, I don’t think it’ll be much of a stretch.” Paige couldn’t hold back a smile. “We certainly seem to have the chemistry part down pat.”
“Always a plus, but there’s a lot more to a relationship than great sex.”
“Commitment is the hard part, at least for Quentin. The good news is I think he’s had about enough of being single.” She turned when thumps sounded on the stairs. “Did you meet Leo yet?”
Nina studied the approaching dog. “Keely hasn’t stopped talking about how she got to help give him a bath. He’s interesting looking.”
“Leo is a sweetie.” Paige scratched his ears when he came to lean against her leg. “I love him to death.” After a moment, he left her side to go stand at the door. “Do me a favor and take him out to pee before you leave.”
“I’ll walk him down on the beach. I could use some exercise, too. I’m parked in back, so I’ll let him in the rear door afterward.”
“Thanks.” Paige reached behind the counter for the leash and held it out. “And thanks for the artwork.”
“My pleasure
.” Nina hooked the leash to Leo’s collar. “I’ll bring him back in a while.”
The bells jangled as she left the shop. Paige hauled the ladder and a roll of ivy garland over to the front display shelves. A movement outside the window caught her eye, but she couldn’t see the person clearly through the painted scene on the glass. Probably just someone admiring Nina’s work. She went back to her decorating and was making good progress tacking the trailing vines in place with a stapler when a soft thump sounded from the storage room.
She paused with the stapler poised over her head. “Nina?” When no one responded and Leo didn’t appear, she frowned. Maybe I’m hearing things. She went back to stapling, rather enjoying the satisfying thwack as she leaned precariously to tack down the end of the strand. Climbing off the ladder, she dragged it to the next section of shelves.
When she stopped at the end of the row, a faint scraping sound—a drawer opening or a box sliding across the floor—caught her ear. “Nina?” she called out.
Complete silence followed.
“What the hell?” Releasing the ladder, she ran through the shop. She paused in the doorway to the storage area before stepping fully into the room. The door to the parking lot was slightly ajar.
The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Before she could spin around, a large cloth dropped over her head, and hands shoved her to the floor. Fighting the sheet tangled around her, she rose to her knees to pull it off. The rear door was fully open, and footsteps pounded the pavement outside. By the time she scrambled to her feet and reached the parking lot, the area was deserted except for her van and Nina’s Mini Cooper.
“Damn it!” Paige sprinted toward the stairs leading down to the beach. No one was in sight except Nina and Leo, far down the stretch of sand. Turning, she ran through the alley out to the main street and looked both ways. Other than a couple of teenage boys on skateboards, a middle-aged woman exiting the dress shop a block away, and a man in a black leather jacket talking on his cell beside a motorcycle parked behind a big pickup, the street was empty. The guy on his phone didn’t even glance her way. After waiting a minute to see if anyone was lurking in a doorway, she gave up and entered her store by the front door.
A man stood at the counter. When the bells jangled, he turned to face her and scowled. “Do you always leave your shop unattended?”
Paige pressed one hand to her chest and gripped the doorframe with the other. “God, you scared me.”
Baird Copeland tapped his fingers on the counter in an irritating rhythm. “I came by to pick up my possessions. What’s your problem?”
“Were you just in my storage room?”
His hazel eyes narrowed. “No, of course not. I parked on the street, so why would I come in through the back?”
Paige let out a breath and realized her hands were shaking. Adrenaline had kept her going through the last few minutes, but now she felt like she needed to sit down. Or collapse. With an effort, she pulled herself together. “Someone was poking around back there. I chased him outside but didn’t get a good look at him.”
“Then how do you know it was a he?”
“I just assumed—”
“Look, I’m in a bit of a hurry. Can I get my baseball cards and the other stuff you found in that drawer?”
“Of course. Everything is in the back room.” Paige led the way through the shop. When she reached the storage area, she frowned. “I left that crate under the workbench. If the creep sneaking around back here took anything—”
“I’m sorry for your troubles. If you’ll give me my property, I’ll get out of your way.”
Baird didn’t sound sorry. He sounded annoyed.
She held her tongue, stepped around the armoire standing in the middle of the room, then swore. “Damn it.”
Several large containers had been opened and the lids left on the floor. The contents of the boxes were in disarray. She’d have to check her inventory to know if anything was missing.
Baird stepped up behind her. “My baseball cards.”
“Oh, for God’s sake.” Standing on her toes, she lifted down a cardboard box. “Here you go.”
Taking the box from her, he set it on a broken, slat back chair and sorted through the old Playboys before dropping them on the floor.
“Those were stacked neatly. The intruder must have looked through your box.”
“If he took . . .” His voice trailed off on a grunt. “I guess not. The baseball cards are here.” He flipped through the stack of cards before glancing her way. “I don’t think any are missing.”
“That’s a relief. What about the comic books?”
He lifted them from the bottom of the box and counted. “Twelve. That seems about right. I bought them so long ago, it’s hard to remember.” His chin jerked up. “Didn’t you mention a letter opener?”
“Isn’t it in there?”
“Just a few loose rocks.”
“That’s weird.” Paige peeked inside. “It was metal and not very old or valuable, so I can’t imagine a thief would take it. Maybe he dropped it in one of the other boxes during his search. We can look for it, but it may take a while.”
“I don’t have time right now. If it turns up, you can let me know. But as you said, it wasn’t valuable.” He placed the magazines back in the box. “Thanks for contacting me.”
“I’m happy to return your property.” And just as happy to see you leave.
She followed him through the store and let out a sigh of relief when the door slammed shut behind him with a clash of bells. Simultaneously, the rear door opened, and feet thudded across the wood floor.
Not feet. Paws.
As she spun around, Leo loped in her direction. Paige bent to wrap her arms around her dog’s shaggy neck and tried not to cry. “Where were you when I needed you, huh?” After a moment, she straightened. “Let’s go see what that asshole took. My guess is whatever he was after was worth a whole lot more than a damn letter opener.”
* * *
The tide had finally turned in his favor—or so he’d thought.
Seeing Paige’s artist friend leave the shop with the dog in tow had seemed like a stroke of luck too good to pass up. Since he hadn’t found the damn weapon in the rows of crap in the main room the last time he’d looked through the store, he’d wanted one more go at searching the storage area before he gave up his quest for good. But that big mutt the shopkeeper had acquired made timing a break-in tricky.
Bending, he picked up a shell and lobbed it out into the waves. His search had proved fruitless, and he’d damn near got caught in the process. Still, the risk had been worth it. He hadn’t found what he was after, but his worry lessened with each passing day. Maybe Paige had discarded it as useless, and the object of his nightmares was currently resting in a refuse pile out at the dump. Even if he’d somehow missed seeing it during his search, surely she would have cleaned away any traces of blood by now. If she’d noticed anything suspicious, she would have contacted the cops. And he was damn certain news of that would have spread all over town.
He hadn’t heard a single peep, which was excellent since he could tell the darkness was building again. He’d do everything he could to stop what was coming, or at least minimize the damage afterward, but sometimes he was powerless. Fear he’d pay the price for his failure ate at him. Not that worrying did a damn bit of good. It would happen again at some point, despite his best efforts. All he could really do was put off the inevitable.
Chapter Ten
An empty patrol vehicle was parked at the curb in front of Old Things. Uneasiness crept down Quentin’s spine as he pulled in behind the cop car and turned off his engine. He had a feeling the officer who’d been driving it hadn’t stopped by Paige’s store to purchase antiques. Heart pounding, he slammed the car door and hurried up the sidewalk. The bells jangled when he entered, grating on his nerves. No one was behind the front counter.
“Paige?” he shouted.
Upstairs, muffled barking broke out. Foo
tsteps sounded from the rear of the shop, the tap of the heeled boots Paige had been wearing that morning. When she appeared around a tall rack holding china plates, he let out a breath.
“Come on back. Chris Long is here.”
Quentin rested a hand at her waist. “What happened now?”
“Someone was snooping around in my storage room earlier, while I was out front. I assume the same person who broke in before.”
“Did he steal anything this time?”
Her brows drew together. “I don’t think so. I was checking inventory while Chris took my statement. Whoever it was shifted things around, probably because he was looking for something specific and was in a hurry, but I’ve found just about everything on my list.”
“Why the hell does he keep returning if it isn’t to rob you?” When they reached the back room, Quentin nodded at the cop. “Hey, Chris.”
The officer responded with a quick smile. “Good to see you, Quentin. I’ve noticed a lot of activity down at the Poseidon Grill. How’re the renovations going?”
“Surprisingly, we’re on schedule. I hope to open toward the end of January.” Quentin tightened his hold on Paige. “What’s going on around here?”
“My take . . . Paige must have something someone wants pretty badly.” Chris returned his notebook to his pocket. “I’m glad you adopted the dog. Keep him close by when you’re here alone.”
Quentin glanced toward the ceiling as Leo let out a few more woofs. “Where was he when this creep showed up?”
“Nina took him down to the beach for a walk after she finished painting my front windows. I was putting up decorations in the shop and making quite a bit of noise, so I’m not sure how long the intruder was back here. When I finally heard something and ran to see what was going on, the guy tossed an old sheet I keep handy for refinishing projects over my head and pushed me down. At least I assume it was a man. He was certainly a lot bigger and stronger than me. Unfortunately, he was gone before I got untangled.”
Anger burned through Quentin as he touched her cheek. “Were you hurt?”
Hidden Secrets Page 10