Realizing where she was staring, she jerked her head up to find him watching her. The good news was he wasn’t laughing at her. The bad news was enough speculative heat danced in his eyes to warm the entire hotel.
“About that toothpaste?” he prompted. “You never know when minty fresh breath will come in handy.”
“Uh, sure…if you want to just go back into your room and finish getting dressed for bed, I can bring you the toothpaste in a minute.” Maybe that would buy her time to get her suddenly cardboard tongue unstuck from the roof of her inexplicably dry mouth.
“I don’t actually get dressed for bed, Piper. Just un- dressed.” He flashed a wicked smile. “I could go ahead and do that, but—”
“No! No, that’s okay. I didn’t realize that you slept n— I mean, I didn’t… Just have a seat and give me a sec, will ya?” Maybe if she tried really hard, she could embarrass herself further. Go for some kind of record.
If she’d been more awake at the beginning of this unexpected encounter, she would have handled it more gracefully. At least, that was the story she was sticking to. He sat on the edge of her bed, waiting while she rummaged through her duffel bag. Why couldn’t he have used the chair on the other side of the room, next to the window?
So what if he’s in my room, on my bed? It’s only Josh.
Only? Ha!
She knew instinctively that she wouldn’t be reacting to any other man this way. But it seemed something about Josh—lately, everything about Josh—made her go as warm and gooey as a Chocomel left to melt in a car on a sunny day.
A strange thrumming sound rang in Piper’s ears. Probably her hormones chanting their demands. Well, as she’d explained to Josh before, she had total control over her hormones. She wasn’t going to allow some chemical reaction in her body to rule her actions.
Exhaustion and her conflicting emotions impaired her thinking. Then, of course, there was the distraction of the sexiest man she’d ever seen currently lounging on her bedspread—not that she’d need the blanket to keep her warm if he stayed.
She blinked. He was not staying.
“Here.” She thrust the tube of toothpaste at him. “Take it. Give it back to me in the morning.”
“You want to use some first?”
“I’ll skip it tonight, I’m so beat. You just be on your way, and I’ll crawl into bed.”
He paused in the doorway, where she waited to close the door. His gaze seduced hers, so warm and compelling she couldn’t look away. Moving slowly, almost hypnotically, he inclined his head toward her. Her heart beat so loudly she was afraid he must hear it. The people in the room below could probably hear it.
He wasn’t going to kiss her, was he? She’d made a point of mentioning earlier that they only needed to keep up the pretense in front of witnesses.
Maybe you need to practice so that it looks natural in front of your family, a small voice rationalized.
But he obviously wasn’t listening to a similar small voice. At the last minute, he stopped short and whispered, “Good night, Piper,” before backing into the dim shadows of his own room.
She shut the door, replaying the last few seconds in her head, wondering where she’d gone wrong. Good night, Piper? She’d been so sure that… You didn’t want him to kiss you, remember?
Right. It was probably best that he hadn’t. Why complicate things further? Besides, despite her attempted rationalization, she knew from their earlier experience in her parents’ kitchen that Josh needed no practice. You couldn’t improve on sensual perfection.
Time to forget about all that, she told herself. He was gone now, and she was finally free to pull on a long T-shirt and crawl between the clean cool sheets to fall into a restful sleep.
As if that was going to happen. The hotel mattress bore the imprint of Josh’s body, and with the subtle spice of his cologne still lacing the space around her, it was easy to imagine him here. With her.
Piper kicked off the sheets, needing air against her flushed and fevered skin. She reminded herself that a love life was almost never worth the time and energy it required. But one with Josh? Okay, so that might definitely be worth something, but not her entire career. She’d worked hard to position herself at C, K and M, and was hopeful that she’d be assigned some big projects after her next review. The last thing she wanted to do was start over elsewhere—especially for a brief fling.
Now if it were for a full-blown relationship… No. She didn’t want one of those, either. They were like quicksand. What if she slipped into one and slowly lost her identity before she realized it? What if one day in the future she woke up like Daphne, who also had had plans for her life? What if Piper were the one sitting at the dining room table, announcing to her family that she’d decided to give up her goals and occupation? After all, she’d almost headed down that road with Charlie, and she didn’t remember him ever having the magnetic pull on her that she’d experienced moments ago with Josh.
She was just tired. It had been a long day, and this would all look a lot clearer in the morning, after some sleep.
But how was she supposed to sleep when the only thing between her and Josh’s naked body was one lousy door so thin she could hear him stretch across his own bed on the other side?
“Remind me what the agenda for this morning is,” Josh said as she pulled the car up to the ranch house.
She was guiltily grateful he hadn’t asked about the whole day. She hadn’t yet figured out how to pass on what her mom had told her last night. Piper had meant to explain about the shower, but that kiss had short-circuited her brain.
“I have to do girl stuff,” Piper said, “and you’ll—”
“Let me guess. Guy stuff?”
She rolled her eyes. “I figured you could hang out with Dad. Unless you want to go with me to see my cousin’s wedding dress and then take Daphne to the OB.”
“I’ll take my chances with your dad.”
“Good choice. Don’t worry, it’ll be fun. Now, if Dad asks what attracted you to me, make sure you pick an answer that isn’t physical.” She switched off the ignition. “I mean, don’t get too carried away with the whole boyfriend pretense. I’m not saying you’re actually turned on by me.”
As they climbed out of the car, Josh laughed. “That sounded like a question. Are you fishing, Piper?”
“What? No, of course not.” If her slightly raised voice sounded defensive, that was a coincidence.
“Uh-oh. Sounds like a fight.” Charlie’s unexpected voice came from the porch. “I certainly hope there isn’t trouble in paradise.”
“As I recall,” Josh muttered, “the only trouble in paradise was an uninvited snake trying to cause problems.”
Ignoring him, Piper glanced at Charlie, wondering just how persistent he’d be this weekend. She’d expected him to take the hint last night. She managed a smile, but her tone was pointed. “What brings you here this morning?”
Charlie shrugged. “I told your dad I’d come out early and help him load bales of hay to take to your uncle.”
“Well, that was…nice.”
Behind her, Josh made a small noise.
“It eases my conscience a bit for the way I behaved with you. It sounds trite, but I really didn’t know what I had until it…until you were gone.” Charlie continued as if Josh weren’t even with her. “It wasn’t all bad, though, right? We had some good times, Piper.”
They had, but the last thing she wanted to do was encourage him to dwell on them.
“Some, but that’s all in the past. The distant past.” Besides, she suspected his continued pursuit was fueled as much by the novelty of his not being able to have her as it was by fond memories. “I’m with Josh now.”
To reinforce her words, Josh loyally stepped up behind her, aligning his body against hers and draping his arm around her waist, across the top of her jeans. A dizzy sensation accompanied his nearness. Piper blinked, but then closed her eyes completely when Josh pushed aside her ponytail and brushed a soft
kiss to the back of her vulnerable neck. His lips were feather-light on her skin, so how did they wring such a potent response?
The front door banged shut, startling her. She took a step forward, deciding that regaining her sanity was more important than fooling her family at the moment. Daphne made her way down the porch steps, glaring daggers at Charlie. Then she turned to her sister with an apologetic sorry-he-got-away-from-me expression.
Piper smiled. “You ready to go, Daph?”
“Yeah. I appreciate your giving me a ride to the doctor. Blaine didn’t want to take off work this morning since he’s leaving early this afternoon, and today’s Mom’s day for helping out at Nana’s retirement center. Mornin’, Josh. What are your plans?”
“Hanging out with your dad. Piper said it would be fun.”
“Uh-huh.” Daphne’s eyebrows shot up. “If that’s what she said.”
“Don’t worry.” Charlie insinuated himself into the conversation. “I’ll be here, too. And I can certainly help put Josh at ease.”
Piper bit back a sarcastic retort and shot Josh a look asking that he do the same. Open antagonism hadn’t accomplished anything, so she was hoping that maybe an if-we-ignore-him-he’ll-go-away strategy would have better results.
Daphne offered a weak wave to the guys. “Have a good day. Josh, I’ll see you this afternoon at the—” She broke off sheepishly, with a sidelong glance at Charlie. “The, um, thing.”
“What thing?” both men asked on cue.
Damn. Piper still hadn’t explained about the shower. Well, now was a good time, what with the getaway car so close. She caught Josh’s eye and motioned him aside. They walked across the grass toward her parents’ barn. “Do you remember me mentioning that my family used the reunion weekend to celebrate a bunch of things at once?”
“Sure.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his khaki slacks.
“Well, the actual reunion is tomorrow, but this afternoon, some local family members and friends of Daphne and Mandy are getting together.”
“Should I know who Mandy is?”
“My cousin,” she reminded him. “The engaged one, whose wedding dress Daphne and I are going to see. Which leads me back to this afternoon… It’s a combination baby shower for my sister and bridal shower for my cousin. A couples shower, and you’re my date.” She took a breath, praying he wouldn’t go nuclear on her.
“I have to go to a baby shower and a bridal shower? Any chance you’re just kidding to get back at me for past short jokes?”
“Actually, the fact that I’m not kidding is my way of getting back at you.”
He looked unamused.
“I knew there would be a shower this weekend, but I assumed it was ladies only,” she said. “When Mom told me last night it was a couples shower…I should’ve mentioned it, I know.” She’d truly meant to, but she’d become preoccupied with other matters, like not using that door between their rooms to sneak into his bed and fulfill those fantasies she’d had all night.
“Piper, I’m a guy. A guy who watches sports on ESPN from my recliner. I don’t sit around baby showers and—I don’t even know what it is you sit around doing at baby showers.”
“I’ll make you chocolate chip pancakes for a year.”
He was shaking his head before she even finished voicing the offer. “This is bigger than pancakes.” He scowled as though bamboo shoots shoved under his fingernails would be less painful than spending a few hours watching a bride and mother-to-be open some presents.
Piper empathized with his pain. A very small part of her, one she wasn’t proud of, was even glad he’d be there suffering alongside her. Probably best not to let him know about that part.
She sent a quick, worried glance toward Daphne and Charlie, who were having their own tense discussion. “Please, Josh? It’ll just be one afternoon.”
“All right, I’ll go.” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “But you owe me.”
“Anything you want,” she agreed automatically.
Chapter Seven
“Anything I want? Well, in that case…” Josh’s eyes darkened, the golden glints shimmering with new mischief. “I’m sure that by this afternoon, I’ll have a list. I don’t suppose any place around here sells flavored body lotion?”
He’s only joking, Piper told herself. Josh was teasing her, flirting as always. But it didn’t feel that way. The heat she might have expected to be burning in her face was joined by liquid warmth pooling in lower, more intimate places. Since when did she respond to him like that?
But over the last few days, it had become difficult to recall a time she hadn’t responded this way. He met her eyes then, and his playful smile faded into something more serious, more dangerous than his outrageous teasing had ever been.
Trying to sound amused, she managed a choked laugh. “Flavored body lotion? In Rebecca? Please. You have to drive to the next county just to find a grocery store that sells beer.”
“Just as well,” he said. “After tasting your kiss last night, I can’t imagine there’s any part of you that would be enhanced by artificial flavoring.”
“Josh!” She’d meant the name to be a warning to stave off further outrageousness, instead she sounded like a woman issuing an invitation. An invitation he intended to take her up on, judging by the way he angled his head toward her.
Her breath mingled with his, but before their lips actually made contact, Daphne called out, “Hey, Piper, I don’t mean to interrupt you, but—”
Piper had never been so glad to be interrupted in all her life. “Be right there!” She practically hurled herself in the direction of the car, but she could feel Josh’s gaze on her as she retreated. And even the engine coming to life as she turned the ignition didn’t drown the echo of his soft, knowing chuckle in her ears.
As Piper drove to the local bridal boutique, Daphne asked if everything was okay.
“Fine.” With the possible exception of a pulse so rapid and a body temperature so high that Piper should probably have skipped her cousin’s wedding dress fitting and driven straight to the ER.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Daphne observed. “Did I interrupt an important moment between you and Josh?”
Recalling that moment, Piper found it was all she could do not to melt into a puddle in the driver’s seat. “I was just filling him in on the details of the shower.”
“About that,” Daphne said. “Charlie’s going to be there, too.”
“He’s coming to a couples shower? With whom?”
“By himself, I’m afraid. He wasn’t on the original guest list, despite Mom’s urging, but when I accidentally mentioned the shower… What was I supposed to do? He knew Josh was going, and I’ve known Josh for about twelve hours. I’ve known Charlie Conway all my life.”
Piper sighed. Daphne looked repentant already, and besides, she was right.
“The more the merrier,” Piper replied.
Her sister changed the subject. “You sure you want to risk your relationship with Josh by leaving him with Dad all morning?”
“Josh is tough.” Plus, she might have been more worried if there was an actual relationship to risk. “He won’t break.”
“Don’t you remember what Dad did when Blaine and I were dating? He said they should spend the day together and discuss Blaine’s intentions, man to man. He took Blaine riding and put him on Thunder, for heaven’s sake. Poor Blaine was so sore that, for a while, we didn’t think he’d be able to father children.”
Piper slanted her gaze toward her sister’s stomach, which almost reached the dashboard even though the seat was pushed back as far as it could go. “I’d say that worry was for nothing. Besides, wasn’t Thunder Dad’s paternal retaliation at finding the two of you making out in the barn?”
“And you don’t think he saw you and Josh in the kitchen last night?”
Piper’s face warmed. “That was just a kiss.”
“So you said.”
“Why do you sound so skeptical?�
�
“Why is your face turning bright red?”
It did no good for Piper to try to forget about last night’s kiss—it was emblazoned on all her senses, along with today’s almost kiss. She could tell herself that there had been witnesses this morning, too, that maybe Josh was keeping up the act for Daphne’s sake and helping Piper make a continued point to Charlie. But deep down, she knew better. This morning hadn’t been about pretense. It had been about her all but throwing herself at Josh, and his obviously recognizing the need in her eyes.
She refused to ponder what had looked like an answering need in his own. If her resolve weakened, she had a corporate no-fraternization policy and possible notches on Josh’s metaphorical bedpost to help bolster it.
“Turn left up here,” Daphne instructed, pointing across the street to the bridal boutique.
Today Mandy was picking up the gown she’d be wearing to her January wedding, and she’d insisted Piper drop by to see the dress while she was in town. Six years younger than Piper, Mandy had looked up to her cousin, wanted to be just like her, even saying she wanted to attend A&M university. She’d quit college midway through her degree plan, though, saying that she was spending money needlessly, since her ultimate goal was to help run the family restaurant and raise kids. Piper hadn’t seen her cousin in years or met Mandy’s fiancé, Donald.
Parking the car, Piper squirmed a little as she thought about the number of times she’d made excuses not to visit her family.
It wasn’t that she didn’t love them, she thought as she and Daphne entered the bridal boutique. She just didn’t want to live the life they’d envisioned for her.
Inside, lacy reminders of that life surrounded her. Veils and cake toppers and tiny wedding favors that made her shudder deep inside. At the handful of weddings she’d attended, she always flinched when a bride promised to “love and obey.”
Completely Smitten Page 26