Elusive Lover

by Carole Mortimer

  She looked at him with cold eyes when he at last lifted his head. ‘Another lesson?’ Her voice was chill.

  ‘No.’ He thrust her away from him. ‘God, no wonder that guy Bob threw you out if you only gave him as much response as you just gave me!’

  ‘Bob?’ she looked startled. ‘But he——’

  ‘Must have had a hell of a lot more patience with you than I have,’ Josh snapped disgustedly, his hands thrust into the back pockets of his denims. ‘I don’t like these sort of games, Erin. You knew the arrangement when you agreed to come here. It’s no good trying to back out now. This is my bedroom, that’s my bed, and later on tonight you’ll be sharing it with me!’ He stormed out of the room, a door slammed several minutes later, and the house was suddenly quiet.

  Erin stared after him in numbed disbelief. He thought— he had said—heavens, he thought Bob had been her lover! And why shouldn’t he? Had she ever explained to him that Bob was her stepfather? She knew she hadn’t. She had been too busy wallowing in self-pity to realise what construction he would put on what she told him.

  And now he thought—lord, no wonder he had made this crazy suggestion in the first place. He thought she had already lived with a man for a year, so why should she baulk at a couple of weeks spent with him?

  She had been a fool, a stupid idiot. And Josh would have to be told the truth about Bob.

  But she couldn’t find Josh anywhere, not in the house or outside. Sheba was noticeably absent too, so perhaps the two of them had gone for a walk. Erin left her suitcase in Josh’s bedroom, but made no effort to unpack it. After she had spoken to him he might decide to return her to Calgary after all. Sleeping on a bench somewhere suddenly became a frightening reality.

  She found the makings of coffee in the kitchen and filled the percolator. If Josh was gone for any length of time she might need this coffee to keep her going. A sandwich would have been nice, but she didn’t feel she should just help herself, not in the circumstances.

  After two cups of the strong coffee she was starting to get restless, getting up from the breakfast bar in the kitchen to start wandering about the house. Josh might have been angry with her, but he had no right to just go off and leave her like this. Were they close enough to the mountains to have bears wandering around? She didn’t think so, but then what did she know?

  Where was he? She was becoming increasingly angry at his continued absence, sure he was doing it on purpose to punish her.

  Then she heard a noise upstairs, a scraping sound. Josh had said he had his workroom up there. Could it be him, or was it an intruder? She cursed herself for her vivid imaginings. Of course it was Josh, but what was he doing up there? Working, obviously. But at what? After the way he had left her she didn’t think he would welcome her curiosity right now.

  Perhaps she could get their supper ready and surprise him. Maybe if she could show him how useful she was he would let her stay anyway?

  But she couldn’t find the steak Josh had said he wanted, the fridge was more or less empty, so that put paid to that idea.

  She was feeling hot, sticky and bad-tempered, her near future uncertain, all depending on the whim of a man who could be lazily charming but who could also be forcefully arrogant, even a little cruel at times.

  She went back to the bedroom, taking fresh clothes out of her case, the denims and top she had on now all dusty from the drive here. Oh, to hell with it, she would have a shower! Josh was apparently too busy to even talk to her, and she had nothing else to do.

  It was glorious! She cooled the water down to lukewarm, revelling in it, her skin tingling refreshingly, her wet hair plastered to her brow. There had been some shampoo in the bathroom cabinet, not her usual brand, but it would do.

  She was just massaging the shampoo into a lather when she heard the shower door click open. She turned, blinking, shampoo instantly going into her eyes and blinding her, stinging the sensitive tissue there.

  ‘Josh?’ she gasped, reaching out blindly.

  ‘It sure is,’ he drawled.

  ‘I—Help me,’ she pleaded. ‘I have soap in my eyes and—and—Are you looking at me?’ she asked in dismay.

  ‘Nowhere else to look, honey.’

  She could hear the smile in his voice, and her face coloured bright red. ‘Will you get me a towel, you—you ogling idiot!’ She would die of embarrassment in a minute!

  He chuckled. ‘I have a much better idea,’ he murmured throatily.

  The shower door clicked shut. Heavens, he had gone and left her! Then she felt heated flesh pressed against her arm, hard male flesh, and those long, tanned hands came up to cleanse the soap from her hair and eyes.

  ‘Better?’ Josh asked softly.

  Her eyes weren’t stinging any more, but nevertheless, she didn’t open them. ‘Go away,’ she pleaded shakily. ‘Please, I—I—You shouldn’t have come in here.’

  ‘I heard the shower and thought it might be fun to join you. It is. Open your eyes, Erin.’

  ‘I—-No!’ She shook her head, the feel of Josh’s body against hers making her tremble, the coolness of her skin now a flaming heat.

  ‘Open your eyes!’ he ordered in an inflexible voice.

  She did so, reluctantly, instantly closing them again until she heard him chuckle. She glared up at him rebelliously, willing herself not to blush, but knowing she had.

  Josh was as wet as she was now, his hair glossily black, his wide shoulders tanned a deep mahogany, as was the rest of him. Dark hair grow thick and silky on his chest, tapering down to his waist. That was as far as Erin’s gaze dared go—as far as it could go, the lower halves of their bodies were moulded together!

  ‘You should have let me know you were going to have a shower—I would have enjoyed soaping you all over,’ he grinned down at her, water running in rivulets down his face.

  Her hands pushed ineffectually at his chest. ‘Please, Josh, you have to leave, or I will. I——’ Her words were cut off as Josh lifted her high in the air, lowering her body so that he could catch one erect nipple in his waiting lips. ‘No . . .’ she groaned as pleasure hit every nerve in her body.

  If Josh heard her protest he didn’t heed it, but transferred his mouth to the other taut nipple, teasing it with his tongue and teeth.

  Erin’s hands rested on his shoulders, her head thrown back in wonder. Slowly Josh lowered her until their lips met and clung, holding her high against him, as if she weighed nothing at all, his arms like steel bands.

  He still kissed her as he shouldered his way out of the shower, water dripping off their wet bodies as he carried her over to the bed, covering her body with his after laying her back against the downy bedclothes.

  His lips moved to her throat, probing the deep hollows there, nibbling gently on the skin. His hands slowly caressed her from breast to thigh, lingering over the latter, as if he desired to know each intimate inch of her.

  For Erin time had ceased to exist; Josh’s body on hers, and the magic his lips were evoking, was all she could think of at the moment, her silky limbs entwined with his rougher ones, the throbbing urgency of his body telling her more than words could ever do.

  Josh seemed to be of the same opinion. ‘You’re a silent lover, Erin,’ he said huskily, ‘but I like that.’ He began a slow descent of her body, leaving a trail of fire wherever his lips touched, rewarding each ruby-red peak of her breasts with a long lingering caress of his sensuous mouth, exploring the tautness of her stomach with a thoroughness that had her squirming with pleasure.

  ‘Josh!’ she gasped, grasping his head to pull him back up to her. ‘No more, Josh,’ she begged. ‘I—I can’t stand it!’

  ‘All right, sweetheart,’ he gave her a heart-stopping smile. ‘I only wanted to give you pleasure.’

  ‘And you did——’

  ‘It isn’t over yet,’ he told her huskily, caressing her breast as he kissed her.

  Erin wrenched her head away. ‘It is over, Josh. It has to be.’

  ‘Don’t
be ridiculous, Erin,’ he chided gently. ‘You and I have a lot of loving to do yet. We——’

  ‘Josh, Bob was my stepfather!’ she burst out. ‘Just my stepfather.’ There, it was said!

  Josh froze, slowly lifting his head to look at her, his gaze ravaging the darkness of her eyes, the paleness of her face. ‘Your stepfather?’ he repeated slowly.

  Erin swallowed hard. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Just your stepfather.’

  ‘Yes.’ Her breathing was shallow.

  ‘And after your mother died you lived with him for a year?’ He seemed to be having trouble speaking, a pulse working erratically in his jaw.

  ‘Yes,’ she acknowledged softly.

  He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he levered himself to his feet. His expression was scornful as she turned away. ‘A little late for modesty,’ he drawled, walking away.

  She looked at him with shadowed eyes, flushing as she registered what a magnificent body he had, wide powerful shoulders, tapered waist and hips, his thighs powerfully muscled, his legs long and covered with fine dark hair. He was so handsome she almost choked with it.

  ‘Where are you going?’ she croaked.

  He turned to grimace. ‘Back in the shower—cold this time. And if you have any sense you’ll have got your clothes and yourself the hell out of my bedroom before I return!’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ERIN must have set a record for dressing, hastily pulling on the clean clothing she had taken out for herself before going into the shower, the clothes clinging to her damply in the absence of a towel to finish drying herself.

  She could still hear the shower running as she left the room, taking her case into one of the other bedrooms. After all, Josh hadn’t told her to leave the house, just his bedroom.

  Facing him again was going to be embarrassing, there could be no denying that, but it had to be done. She was through running away from situations. And she had walked into this one with her eyes open.

  She wandered through to the lounge. Fire—she could smell fire! And, oh God, she could see smoke! The house was on fire!

  ‘Josh!’ She ran back to the bedroom, pulling the shower door open. ‘Josh——’

  He scowled down at her. ‘What the hell do you want now?’

  ‘Josh, the house is on fire!’ She got hold of his arm and began pulling him towards the lounge.

  ‘It’s what?' he thundered, sparing time to pull a towel about his hips before following her. His eyes narrowed as he looked around the orderly room. ‘Where?’

  ‘Not in here!’ her eyes were wild. ‘Out there,’ she pointed to where she had seen the smoke billowing out seconds earlier.

  ‘Out there?’ he asked patiently.

  ‘Yes—come and look. ‘Honestly, Josh, I would have thought you’d be a little more interested in the fact that your home is on fire! Come on!’ she pulled at his arm once again.

  He gave her a pitying glance. ‘No, you come and look.’ He led the way, opening the door to the covered patio area. ‘There’s your fire.’

  Colour flooded her cheeks as she looked at the steaming barbecue standing out on the concrete area, the hot coals getting wet from the light summer rain falling.

  ‘I lit it for the steaks,’ Josh explained as if talking to a backward child. ‘But I got—sidetracked,’ he taunted, shutting the door. ‘The rain has put an end to that idea.’

  ‘Oh.’ Erin looked down at her hands, feeling an absolute idiot. Why on earth hadn’t she checked the source of the smoke before running to Josh? ‘I’m sorry, Josh,’ she muttered. ‘I really thought the house was on fire.’ She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

  His mouth quirked into a smile, the glower leaving his eyes as he seemed to relax. ‘You really are the most amazing girl I’ve ever met,’ he laughed. ‘I know one thing, the next two weeks aren’t going to be boring.’

  Her eyes widened hopefully. ‘You mean you’re going to let me stay?’

  ‘Sure,’ he shrugged resignedly. ‘I may make the occasional pass at you, but I did warn you about the sexual harassment before you came here.’

  ‘Yes, you did,’ and she grinned her relief that he wasn’t going to just throw her out.

  Josh quirked one dark eyebrow. ‘Think you can handle it?’

  ‘I can try.’

  His arm went about her shoulders. ‘You might even enjoy it, hmm?’

  She blushed, remembering her unmistakable response earlier. ‘I might.’

  ‘I know damn well I will.’ He moved away from her, slapping her lightly on the bottom. ‘I’ve brought the steaks in from the truck, you’ll find them in the kitchen. Get to work, woman.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ she agreed lightly.

  She set to work with a light heart. The steaks were now in the refrigerator with various other foods. Cooking certainly didn’t seem to be Josh’s specialty; frozen vegetables and packets of french-fries filled most of the freezer section of the fridge. She used some of the contents for convenience, as the evening was getting late, but she wouldn’t make a habit of it.

  Josh came back wearing a clean checked shirt and denims, and sat down at the breakfast bar. ‘Smells good,’ he said appreciatively.

  ‘I—I hope so,’ she bit her lip. ‘The cooker—er—stove is a bit strange to me.’

  He stood up to look at the cooking food. ‘Looks good too. Is it going to be long?’

  ‘About five minutes, I should think.’

  He grinned. ‘But you aren’t sure?’

  ‘No,’ she pulled a face.

  He sat down again, drinking the coffee she had poured for him. ‘Do you want to talk now or later?’ He looked at her steadily.

  Erin paled. ‘Talk?’

  He nodded. ‘You can see that we have to.’

  ‘We do??

  ‘I’m afraid so,’ he derided. ‘The situation has changed, surely you realise that?’

  ‘Because I’ll no longer be sleeping with you?’

  ‘Mm,’ he agreed dryly. ‘I’d looked forward to a couple of weeks of you sharing my bed, now I have to think of something else to do with you.’

  ‘I’ll still clean and cook for you,’ Erin put in hastily, finding this conversation embarrassing to say the least.

  ‘Yes,’ he laughed. ‘But I’m sure you’ll agree that there isn’t enough of either of them to merit the—wage you’ll be earning?’

  ‘No,’ she agreed ruefully, well aware of how much her air ticket must have cost. ‘So what do you want me to do?’ She bit her lip. ‘If you still want me, even though you’ll be the first, I——’

  ‘No,’ he cut in firmly. ‘Save that for the man you love. No, I have an idea of what you can do but—Honey, there’s smoke coming out of the stove!’

  They both rushed over to open the door, and Josh pulled out the tray that contained the steaks. ‘Never mind,’ he viewed the burnt offering, ‘I like my steaks well done.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes, really,’ he teased.

  ‘That well done?’ Erin grimaced at the shrunken steaks.

  ‘Well. . .’ he grinned, ‘easy on the burning next time, hmm?’

  She smiled back. ‘I’ll try,’ she promised.

  ‘Then let’s eat.’ He went to the fridge. ‘Like a beer? Or some wine, I think I have some somewhere. Sharon used to like it.’

  Sharon, Dave’s dead fiancée, and Josh’s—what? His dead love? ‘I think I’ll just have water, thanks,’ she refused stiffly.

  The steak was so burnt it crunched, the french fries were somehow greasy, and the peas were mushy, but Josh ate it without complaint.

  ‘You’ll do better tomorrow,’ he sympathised as she left most of hers on the plate.

  ‘I hope so. Josh, earlier, after—after you walked out on me, did you go upstairs?’

  ‘Mm.’

  She licked her lips, her curiosity getting the better of her. Josh was just as likely to slap her down again if she got too inquisitive. ‘Why?’

  He sig
hed. ‘You’ll have to know some time, so it might as well be now. Come with me and I’ll show you.’ He stood up.

  ‘If you’d rather not——’ and she hung back.

  He shrugged. ‘You have to know anyway, if you’re to agree to my suggestion.’

  ‘Your—suggestion has to do with your work?’

  ‘Yes.’ He held out his hand to her.

  She confidently put her own inside it, curling her fingers about his taut flesh. Sheba lay at the bottom of the stairs as if guarding the contents of the room above her.

  Josh grinned as the dog seemed to raise an eyebrow enquiringly at them. ‘Don’t mind her. She’s sulking because I never allow her upstairs with me.’

  Erin warily stepped over the dog, following Josh’s example. ‘Maybe she won’t like me going up there with you.’ The last thing she wanted was for the dog to dislike her—any more than she seemed to already!

  ‘She can take it,’ he chuckled.

  The attic-room, although in a bungalow she supposed it couldn’t really be called that, covered the whole floor space of the four bedrooms and two bathrooms—and its contents came as a complete shock to her. It was a studio! An artist’s studio, easels, both used and unused standing about the room. The walls themselves were bare, except for one large painting, a painting of a girl, a girl with dark hair and laughing brown eyes. Sharon!

  Josh walked straight over to the portrait, as if he too were drawn to it like a magnet. ‘My one and only painting of Sharon,’ he spoke as if to himself. ‘And even then I painted it after she died.’ His voice was raw with emotion.

  ‘I—It’s very good,’ Erin said awkwardly, wondering if Dave had ever seen this painting, seen the love that had gone into every brush stroke.

  ‘Yes,’ Josh acknowledged without conceit. ‘She was a good subject to paint—as I think you will be.’

  She gasped. ‘You want to paint me?’

  He nodded. ‘I even have a title for it: Innocence.’

  She flushed. ‘I—My God, you’re Hawke!’ she gasped, having seen the signature at the bottom of Sharon’s portrait for the first time. She looked almost dazedly at Josh. ‘You’re Hawke,’ she repeated weakly, wondering why she didn’t faint or something.