Paws Up for Love

by Stephanie Rowe

  White anger bubbled inside, but he counted to ten before he responded. "First, he loves her. Second, he would give his life for me. I know it. Third, I will not give up on him. Josie is my key to bringing him back into my life."

  "And maybe she's also your key to eternal happiness. Then what will you choose?"

  "Buddy."

  "And what if Buddy never shows up? Are you going to keep this woman for him forever?"

  With his promise of tuition to keep her around, he had four years to find him. Except Josie would never wait for four years. Sure, she'd sworn off men, but she was too passionate and loving to remain undiscovered for long. He had to find Buddy soon.

  "You're ignoring me," Bertie said.

  "I'm thinking."

  "Fine." She stood up. "Don't spend your whole life suffering because you regret telling your brother to shape up. You had to do that, and the fact he never showed his ugly mug again isn't your fault. Forgive yourself. Being an enabler wouldn't have done him any favors anyway."

  "Maybe not, but it would have kept the family together." He lifted a brow. "Are you going to try to convince me that there are things more important than family?"

  "No," Bertie sighed. "But that's not the whole picture."

  "It is for me." He eyed Bertie. "And this conversation remains confidential."

  "I know. You don't want the rest of the world to know you're a big softie who yearns for love and family."

  "I don't yearn."

  Bertie winked and stood up. "Of course you don't. You're a cold, heartless financial advisor who can bully his way through any wall."

  "Damn right."

  She tossed a note on his desk. "By the way, a Flora Harper called and left you a message."

  Josie's mom? He barely noticed Bertie slip out of his office, as he stared intently at the note. What did Flora want? After a long moment, he picked it up. In Bertie's handwriting was neatly written. "Flora Harper called. Enjoyed meeting you last night. Offered to help shop for a ring for Josie. Invited herself and the family to your house this weekend for a barbecue so they can get to know you better."

  A glimmer of warmth flickered inside him, then he shut it out and scowled. This was getting way out of control. Time to stop it. Now.

  Chapter 17

  Josie was watching a late-night movie on Friday night when she heard the front door open. She jumped, and a mixture of excitement, hurt, and resentment cascaded through her. Time to finally see Evan for the first time this week? He'd been gone before she got up, and never came home until she was in bed. Either he was a workaholic, or he was avoiding her.

  Either way, it was fitting in nicely with her plans.

  Those plans, of course, being to dislike him so much that there was no hope of getting her heart trounced on. There'd been a big hump to overcome after dinner at her parents' house, because she'd been feeling all warm and gooey inside, watching him play with her nieces and nephews and hang with her brothers.

  But after being completely ignored all week, she pretty much hated him again, except for those erotic fantasies she had about him every night. But if she didn't like him at all, then maybe the Great Sexual Affair was still a possibility.

  And now she could hear Evan stomping about in the front hall, and her stomach was doing all sorts of nervous jumpy things, and she felt hot and prickly.

  Something slammed in the kitchen and she heard Evan curse.

  Stay where you are, Josie.

  She promptly got up and walked into the kitchen. "Fancy seeing you here. I thought you'd died and left me the house as your sole heir."

  He glared at her, and she nearly melted into the beautiful hardwood floor. He was so tough. She'd never be able to dominate him. He was the stuff of fantasies.

  "Buddy's my sole heir."

  "Just kidding. Relax, will you?" She walked over to the table and sat down. "Ice cream, huh? I'll have some too."

  He mumbled something under his breath, but grabbed another bowl from the cabinet, dumped some ice cream in it, then gave it a good wrist snap so it skidded across the table to her. He flipped a spoon to her, shoved the ice cream back into the freezer, grabbed his ice cream, and started to walk out.

  As if she'd let him. After stewing all week about him, she was all hot and bothered and definitely ready to spend some time gawking at him. Besides, she had a message for him that she was quite interested in. "My mom called for you."

  Evan stopped in the doorway, but he didn't turn around. She was quite certain she saw his shoulders tense, however. Perhaps she should offer to rub the tension right out of them...

  "What did she say?"

  "She wants to know if she needs to bring anything tomorrow or whether you have it covered." Josie tilted her head. "Got a date with my mom tomorrow?"

  He cursed and spun around, looking even crabbier than he had when he'd first walked in. "She's coming over, isn't she?"

  "Over? Like, here?" Well, wasn't that interesting. Her mom hadn't mentioned that.

  Evan sighed with visible exasperation. "Yes, here. I tried to tell her it wouldn't work—"

  "What wouldn't work?" He was certainly adorable with his forehead all wrinkled up in frustration. She wanted to reach over and smooth those furrows right away, maybe follow with a kiss or two...

  "Harper family barbecue."

  She actually managed to forget about Evan's relentless sexual energy long enough to consider dying of embarrassment. "My mom invited herself over here for a barbecue tomorrow?"

  "Oh, no. Not just her." He walked over to the table and sat down with his ice cream. "Your whole family. Apparently, there's a lot more of them than what I met earlier this week."

  Oh, wow. Would she ever get old enough not to have her parents ruin her life? "Evan, I'm so sorry."

  He took a bite of ice cream. "Do you realize she has called me at least once a day all week? And I've had calls from three of your brothers with offers to go watch the Sox game at a bar, to coach Little League, and to help build a tree house."

  She started to giggle. "I think they like you." She immediately covered her mouth. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laughing."

  He shook his head. "And one of your sisters called to describe the engagement ring that Tom gave you and to explain how much you hated it, and what kind I should buy."

  Okay, so that wasn't funny. The thought of Evan giving her an engagement ring should terrify her, as a woman opposed to marriage and all things relationship, but it just filled her with an almost unbearable sense of longing, which she found even more terrifying. Deep breath, Josie. Don't look rattled.

  He shook his head. "Your family is relentless."

  "True." Good, Evan. Keep me focused on my family so I can regain control of my senses. "Now you see why I needed some help in getting my mom off my back."

  "They do this with every guy you bring home?"

  "Um...actually..."

  "What?"

  "You're the first." Huh. Interesting. What exactly did that mean? To her knowledge, her brothers had never invited Tom to go see a Sox game, yet Evan was being stalked.

  He pressed his lips together, then looked up. "I have to confess something."

  For some reason she couldn't understand, her heart started beating faster. "What?"

  "When I spoke to your mom, she decided I'm going to marry you. That's what your dad wanted to talk to me about. How you were injured in your last marriage and I'd better be serious about taking care of you." He stopped and took a deep breath. "Phew. Glad to get that out."

  Knock her off her chair and run her over with a cement mixer. "Are you kidding?"

  "Nope." He suddenly looked much more relaxed and took a big bite of his ice cream. "I tried to talk her out of it, but you know how she is."

  Her marry Evan? After she finished fantasizing about how handsome he'd look in a tux, she said, "I'd never marry you."

  "That's what I told her. She didn't buy it. She had the idea in her head before I even opened my mouth."

&n
bsp; "Well."

  He lifted an eyebrow. "Don't think I've ever seen you speechless."

  "I'm not speechless. I just can't think of anything to say."

  The eyebrow quirked, but he didn't point out the ludicrousness of her response. "I think she told the rest of your family."

  "Apparently." This was huge. Way out of her control. "So, what are you going to do?"

  "Me? It's your family."

  "But you're the one who got bullied by my mom."

  "Because you asked me to talk to her."

  "Because your brother ruined my life."

  He grinned. "So, we're both at fault?"

  "How can you laugh? It's not funny. They're probably going to throw me a baby shower next week."

  "You're pregnant?"

  "Not a chance. Unless the baby is taking two years to grow." Whoops. That might be a little more information than was necessary to share. Must be the sex-on-the-brain making her mouth run off in forbidden directions.

  Evan peered at her. "How long ago did you get divorced?"

  She concentrated really hard on swirling the chocolate with her spoon. "April."

  "It's July."

  "I'm aware of that."

  "You and your ex-husband didn't..."

  "No." She lifted her eyes to meet his. "So? What's your point? That he didn't find me sexually attractive, which is why he ended up falling in lust with that bazoomy brainiac obstetrician? You'd think she'd be anti-sex. I mean, how can you think of the human body as sexy after looking at all those women all day—"

  "I get it," he interrupted. "But thanks so much for the visual."

  "Most men would like that visual. Tom apparently did. Bastard." She shoved her chair back. "I need more ice cream. And do you have any chocolate sauce? Or chocolate sprinkles? Or brownie? I could crumble brownie on there." She'd just yanked open the freezer when she felt Evan's hands on her shoulders. "Don't touch me."

  He ignored her, tightening his grip and turning her to face him. When she did, she nearly started crying at the look on his face. So tender, like he actually cared, like he knew her pain. Bastard. Trying to prove her independent New Josie was a farce. "What do you want?" she snapped.

  "I'm sorry about your marriage."

  She bit her lower lip and scowled at him. "What do you know about it?"

  "I know that he never treated you like you were special. That you felt like you weren't important. That he never made time for you."

  "I never said that." She focused on a spot behind him on the wall. Was it a bug crawling across the white paint, or were her eyes starting to blur?

  "Your parents did. And so did each brother who called me this week." He wiped his thumb across her cheek. "It's okay to cry."

  "I'm not going to cry. What an idiotic thing to say."

  He held up his thumb, which was glittering with her tears.

  "Sweat. I'm sweating." She sniffled. "I never cry about men. I only cry when I miss my favorite television show."

  He was leaning awfully close. "Which show?"

  "I don't know." How was she supposed to think with him only an inch away? She could smell his magical male scent that made all her female hormones wake up and start working out.

  "You don't have to talk about it. Just know that you can. And you don't even have to explain it, since I already know."

  That was wrong. He wasn't supposed to know her secrets. "You don't know everything."

  He rubbed her cheek again. "I'm sure I don't. But I'll listen."

  "Why are you being nice?" She started to breathe through her mouth so she couldn't inhale his scent anymore. "I like you better when you're a jerk." Made her sound like she had a cold.

  "And that makes so much sense."

  "Have I ever claimed to make sense?" He was so close, and his hands were still on her shoulders. All she'd have to do was lean, and she wouldn't have to support herself anymore.

  "Whoa. Don't faint on me." He moved his hands to her waist.

  "It's completely insulting to accuse a woman of fainting," she said haughtily, even as she let herself grab his forearms.

  "You were wobbling."

  "Oh, that. That wasn't fainting." It was my body trying to climb into your suit with you.

  "Of course." His hands tightened around her waist, and she let herself lean into him. "So, any suggestions for tomorrow?"

  "What's tomorrow?" She closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his chest. She didn't do it on purpose, it just happened, because he felt so good and his chest was so solid, and she wanted to feel safe for just a second. Not that the New Josie needed a man to feel safe, but it was okay to let her guard down briefly, wasn't it?

  "The party at my house."

  "Oh." Yes, that. An invasion of the worst kind. Couldn't her family just stay away, so she could spend the entire weekend standing just like she was, cuddled in Evan's arms? Not that she huddled. She stood erect and proud. "You'll never be able to stop all of them from coming."

  "I sensed that." He shifted and tightened his grip on her. "So, what do we do?"

  "Let them come. We'll make a formal announcement that we aren't getting married."

  "You think that'll work?"

  She looked up at him. "No."

  "So?"

  "Is it so bad? It keeps them off my back and...oh. I guess it gives you my family. That's kind of a bad deal."

  "You mean, as long as your family thinks we're going to get married, they'll keep interfering in my life?"

  "Yeah. Sorry about that."

  "It's okay," he said. "I mean, I'd put up with your family to keep you sane. Not that I don't enjoy them, because I do. I mean, I don't. They're just family. What do I need family for? But I'd do it because I owe you for the emotional distress Buddy inflicted on you."

  "Financial distress. Not emotional distress." Why was he babbling about her family? Not that he was babbling. A man like Evan would never babble. But he definitely didn't seem quite as together as he usually did. Then she nodded. Of course. Evan didn't have any family. Tears suddenly surged for the loneliness that made him actually like her family. If she liked him, she'd keep up the façade with her family just so that he could be a part of the clan. But since she didn't like him, she'd do no such favors. She was done with doing favors for men who'd just trounce over her anyway.

  "It's okay to admit you were hurt emotionally. Either by Tom or Buddy. You don't have to be tough," Evan said.

  For an instant, she felt an almost overwhelming urge to collapse and let him take care of her while she cried for the next five days. So she immediately pulled away from him and walked to the other side of the room. "You like weak women."

  "What?" He frowned and didn't come after her. Jerk! Didn't he know that was an unspoken challenge to see how much he really cared? "I don't like weak women." He rubbed his chin and looked thoughtful. "Maybe I used to, but I don't think I could go that route anymore."

  "If you don't like weak woman, why are you trying to get me to cry in your arms? So you can comfort me and make my world better?" She folded her arms across her chest.

  "I wasn't trying to do that." He looked confused. "I guess I just thought you needed to talk or something. Isn't that what women want? Someone to listen to them?"

  "Not me. I don't talk. I don't moon. I'm just about meaningless affairs and mornings of no regrets."

  He laughed.

  The jerk actually laughed.

  Maybe she should punch him, and then see how much he laughed. That might be fun.

  "There's no way you could have meaningless hot sex," he said.

  "Oh, yes there is."

  "Have you ever had a one-night stand?"

  "So what? A girl can change!" He made her so mad she could barely keep from sprinting across the room and ripping that fancy suit right off him. And her raging attraction to him had absolutely nothing to do with that little show of TLC that had nearly made her putty in his hands before she smartened up. "Try me! Let's go upstairs right now and I'll s
how you so much hot sweaty sex that you won't be able to walk for days."

  The smile vanished, and his eyes became almost black. "No."

  "Why not?"

  "You know why."

  "Because we're engaged to be married and you want us to wait?" No way could she bear to have him bring up Buddy again.

  "We have to fix that rumor."

  "Hey, it keeps the pressure off me. You let the rumor start. You deal with it." Boy, it felt good to be heartless. And the excitement racing through her had nothing to do with the fact that she was advocating perpetuating the myth that they were engaged. She grabbed her ice cream. "I'll be upstairs pouring this all over my naked body, if you want to join me."

  He said nothing, but if eyes could actually generate heat, he'd have set her on fire with his gaze. Who was he kidding? Either he was a sex fiend, or he felt the same attraction between them that she did.

  Not that it mattered.

  There was no way he was going to come to her room and lick ice cream off her.

  Phew.

  She needed to take a cold shower.

  Maybe it was better when she didn't see him. At least then she could hate him and not be constantly imagining him naked. When he was around...no such luck. And with the added insult of him being utterly able to resist her, he was no help for her wounded ego.

  Not that she had a wounded ego.

  Okay, maybe a little. Maybe that episode with her husband falling in love with someone else had been a wee bit damaging, and maybe Buddy snookering her had left a little bit of a dent in her self-confidence. And just maybe Evan was a little right that a part of her maybe sort of might want a hug.

  How dare he make her feel vulnerable when she was working so hard to be an iceberg? How dare he make her think about marriage when she was trying to be a heartless career woman?

  The man deserved torture, and she couldn't think of a better one than serving him up to her beloved family. In fact, maybe she'd make a few phone calls to ensure everyone showed up.