by Sara Orwig
“Dammit,” he swore, sitting forward, taking a long drink of milk and eating a cookie. He had to get someone else to guard her. He couldn’t stay shut in this house with her day and night. He wouldn’t last two days before he tried to seduce her.
Basketball players ran up and down the court, but he didn’t really see them. Was she in her room asleep or was she as restless and tied in knots as he was? He imagined her in bed and groaned, images taunting him.
With his thoughts on Laurie, he stared at the television, watching an ad come on—of a gorgeous woman smiling from a boat, telling viewers what a wonderful life was possible if they only owned the vessel. Riveted, Josh stared at the television.
There she was! Her blond hair shimmered in the sunlight. The cookie in his hand fell unnoticed to the floor. His mouth hung open in shock.
There was Laurie, smiling, wearing bright red shorts and a red halter top that gave him a great view of her fabulous figure. Her lips were full and rosy, her brown eyes wide and thickly lashed, the touches of makeup highlighting her beauty. Her body took his breath away because it was easy to imagine her without the halter and shorts. She was stunning with that familiar, gorgeous smile.
A model! She was a model. There was no mistaking what he was seeing and her profession fit so well. She had the looks for it, and, the walk. She had the voice to be on television, the poise. And that sexy, come-hither expression was on her face, that familiar challenge dancing in her eyes.
“Damn,” he repeated, coming to his senses and dashing across the room to hit the record button, trying to get at least part of the commercial. Different emotions raged in him, beginning with relief and joy to learn who she was and that she had a legitimate background. The relief and joy changed instantly to a gut-wrenching pain, because now he couldn’t date her. She was a model with a glamorous, fascinating career in some big city. A city woman. Laurie had already guessed that much. There would be no future for her with him in it, and the realization hurt even though he had known all along that’s exactly what would happen.
Somewhere deep inside, he knew he’d harbored a hope that he could see more of her when she learned of her past and her identity. But that wasn’t going to happen. They were finished almost before they’d started. She was a beautiful, sophisticated model—completely beyond his reach.
Yet he hadn’t wanted to get seriously involved with her, anyway—so why did it hurt so badly to realize that any future between them was impossible?
Sadness came with the hurt, and then concern for her safety. This was a high-profile woman, so what was she mixed up in? Now he could understand the cash, the flight, but from what? At least he had a place to start searching for her past. Why wasn’t an agency looking for her? Why wasn’t her family looking for her? There had to be a boyfriend. All this flashed through Josh’s mind in seconds as he watched her on television.
Then she was gone, replaced by the next ad. Josh crossed the room to the phone, intending to call the sheriff. But as he thought about it, he halted, staring at the door. Before he told Laurie, before he told anyone, he wanted to make some decisions himself.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw that in his haste to record the commercial, he had spilled his milk.
He went to the kitchen to get paper towels, and in minutes had the milk spill cleaned up. For the next half hour, he surfed channels, trying to catch another ad with Laurie in it. All the time he looked at different commercials, he mulled over what to do next.
The one thing he kept reminding himself was that if she had been forbidden to him before, she was absolutely off-limits now.
Finally he switched off the television and strode down the hall in his sock feet. He stopped in front of her closed door. He didn’t care what time of night it was or whether she was asleep or awake. She had to know what he had learned.
He knocked lightly, and then more loudly. “Laurie, get up. I want to talk.”
“Josh, we shouldn’t. Not tonight,” she said, her words slightly muffled by the closed door.
“Come out here. I know who you are.”
Chapter 11
S tunned by his words, Laurie yanked open the door to stare wide-eyed at him. “Who am I? How’d you find out? How’d you learn about my identity?”
Momentarily, he was riveted by the sight of her. She wore a red silk robe, loosely belted, with a deep V that revealed luscious curves, and he knew she wore very little beneath the robe.
“Josh?” she prodded, frowning.
“Let’s go back to the family room where we can talk.”
“Josh Kellogg, stop keeping me in suspense!” she snapped, stepping in front of him and blocking his path, holding his shoulders. “You know. Tell me now!”
He wanted her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her and shut out what he had just learned. Sadly, he knew that was impossible. “You’re a model. I saw you in a television commercial. I think I have a little of it taped.”
“Then let’s go watch it!” she said, grabbing his hand and dashing for the family room.
Grimly he hurried downstairs with her, then crossed the room to rewind the tape, get the remote and turn on the VCR. Laurie stood watching, and when the commercial came on, she said the words right along with the image of herself.
“I know the words!” she exclaimed when it was over. “I know the words. ‘Want to put some fun in your life this summer?’ I know it! And now we can call the sheriff and he can find out where I live and everything.”
Her eyes sparkled, and Josh saw that she wanted to get back to her own life and out of his, and he knew he had to let her go. And this was best, anyway, for him.
“Wait, Laurie. I saw this almost an hour ago.”
“Why didn’t you call me or come get me then?”
“Sit down and let’s talk. I’ve been thinking about what we should do.”
“I want to call the sheriff.”
“Sit down,” he said, hitting the mute button and leaving the television running in case the commercial came on again.
“I can remember the words to the ad.” Her eyes widened. “I remember the agency. Carter Dahl! Josh, I remember!” Her eyes sparkled and she looked jubilant, jumping up and waving her hands. “I remember!”
He grinned because her exuberance was infectious. It was also irresistible. He couldn’t stop himself any more than he could stop breathing. He stepped closer, wrapped her in his arms and kissed her hard.
Startled, she stiffened for an instant, then closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him in return as he leaned over her, molding her to his body, tasting and taking and shutting his mind to their discovery.
She was bubbling, radiating energy, and he wanted to take that energy and transform it to passion. His tongue played over hers and he kissed her deeply, one arm banding her tiny waist tightly while his other hand caressed her throat and slid to her breast beneath her robe and nightie. Her flesh was soft, filling his hand as his thumb caressed the taut peak.
She moaned, moving her hips against him while she tightened her arms around his neck.
Josh relished kissing her, knowing she was responding wildly to his touch and kisses. Her fingers wound in his hair while she clung tightly to him.
He pushed away her robe, shoving the flimsy nightie off of her shoulder to caress her breast. He leaned down to take her nipple in his mouth, his tongue stroking her. Dimly, above his roaring pulse, he heard her moan. Her fingers wound in his hair and slipped beneath his shirt.
He wanted to peel her out of her robe and gown and take her now, to know all her fire and passion. Instead, he swung her up and released her, holding her lightly, with one hand on her hip, while with the other he stroked her nape. He pulled her gown and robe back in place, but not before catching a tantalizing glimpse of bare breast.
“I couldn’t resist,” he said.
“I didn’t tell you to stop,” she answered in a sultry voice.
“Don’t push your luck,” he
snapped gruffly. “I’m on the edge.”
She laughed and danced away from him, looking at the television and then at him. “I remember so much! Josh, my sisters are Emily and Talia. And, I’m Ivy. My name is Ivy!” she exclaimed, waving her arms, and he had to smile at her. “Ivy James.”
“Ivy,” he said, knowing that to him, she would always be Laurie.
“I’m so excited! This is wonderful! I remember!”
“I’m glad, Laurie.” He picked her up in his arms and moved to the sofa to sit and hold her. “Now tell me what you know.”
“I inherited the modeling agency. Carter and I both worked for his uncle.” She frowned and shook her head. “Right now I can’t think of the uncle’s name, but I should know it if I know my own and Carter’s.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll come. And you own the agency. You must have been a very good businesswoman.”
“I don’t even know,” she said. “Carter is a playboy. I think he’s the one who tried to kill me when I was home. That’s why I left.”
“He’d have a motive, if he wanted the agency. I’m surprised he didn’t take you to court, though, and fight it that way. Especially if he is a blood relative, and you aren’t. Do you know where home is?”
She frowned again. “I can see things. The Plaza. I remember the Plaza at Christmas. Kansas City! It’s Kansas City, I just know it is.”
“So you think Carter is the one who ran you off the road?”
She frowned again and ran her fingers idly along the collar of Josh’s T-shirt. He knew she was unaware of what she was doing, but he wasn’t. The slightest touch stirred him, and he was quite conscious of holding her on his lap, of her soft curves and sweet smell, of the silken nightie and robe that provided almost no barrier. Continually, he fought the urge to kiss her. With her memory coming back, they needed to think about the killer, the future, and what the wisest course of action would be.
“Josh, I know Carter. He’s a spoiled playboy, charming, a salesman type. He would never get up in a tree and take a shot at me. Never.”
“People can be driven to do all sorts of things. And your memory may not be serving you so well just yet.”
She shook her hair, long golden strands brushing against his cheek and neck. “No. I know Carter. I can remember. I think he’s the one who set my condo on fire.” She looked startled and twisted to face him. “I just remembered the fire. Things come back out of the blue.”
“You might not be right.”
“Oh, yes, I am. The night my condo burned, before I was going to bed, my sister Emily called and wanted me to help her with something. I don’t remember what, but she said to come spend the night at her house. I did, and my condo burned that night. The fire started in my place. I didn’t think about anyone doing it to harm me, but the fire chief said it began with an unknown substance, and later he said the fire was deliberately set.”
“What about the money, Laurie? You have a lot of cash.”
“I was fleeing for my life and I didn’t want to leave a paper trail. I liquidated some assets from my inheritance and took some of my savings. I didn’t want to run short of money and I didn’t want to use a credit card. I had more than two hundred thousand dollars when I left Kansas City.”
“That’s a hell of a lot of money,” Josh remarked grimly.
Laurie toyed with Josh’s hair, winding her fingers in it, but her gaze looked beyond him, as if she were lost in memories. “Josh, Carter could do something like sneak around and set something on fire, but to get up in a tree out in the middle of nowhere and shoot at me? Never. This man moves in high social circles and supports the symphony and loves museums. He’d never dirty his hands that way.”
“Whoever shot at you wasn’t a country boy. He didn’t know a thing about getting from his car to where he could watch the house. He had little strips of cloth tied to trees to find his way out.”
She laughed. “I can imagine what all of you thought of that!” She sobered to look at Josh. “It wasn’t Carter. He’s too subtle to tie rags to trees. Maybe I was wrong.”
“Or maybe he hired someone to find you and do the dirty work,” Josh said quietly.
“That sounds more like Carter,” she agreed, sobering. “I remember—Jeff Dahl was the man I worked for, and he was Carter’s uncle. He owned the agency. It’s Dahl Stars Modeling Agency in Kansas City, Missouri.”
“Good. More puzzle pieces.”
“When Jeff died over a year ago, he left the agency to me instead of Carter. I don’t know which one of us was more surprised. I never expected that, and Jeff never told me, nor did he tell Carter, who flew into a rage when they read the will. I remember all of that now. And Carter did take it to court, but I won. That wasn’t so long ago.”
“So you modeled and inherited the agency. You must be very good.”
“Maybe, but Carter was very irresponsible. He was charming, but unreliable.”
“I can relate to that one.”
“Josh, I should call Emily.”
“Fine. Why Emily instead of your sister Talia?”
Laurie blinked. “I don’t know. I just think it should be Emily.”
“Do you remember the phone number?”
She concentrated, and Josh leaned forward to kiss her throat lightly. He heard her swift intake of breath and then she pushed against his chest.
“Let me think,” she whispered.
“I didn’t think you’d notice,” he said.
She leaned closer, trailing her tongue over his ear and kissing his own throat. He inhaled and caught her face, framing it in his hands. “Okay, you proved your point. We better leave the kisses until we make some decisions and some calls.”
“My sister Emily should be the first call. She may think something happened….” Laurie turned wide eyes on him. “Why didn’t she turn in a missing-person report?”
“I’ve been wondering about that. Two sisters. Even Carter. He could have legitimately gone to the police if you’d disappeared from your work. Do you know if you both still worked together after you inherited the agency?”
She rubbed her head and frowned. “Yes, we did. I need to call Emily. After that I should call the sheriff.”
“There’s just one thing to consider before you do. You have a high-profile job. Remember, someone tried to kill you. If you call the sheriff, there are things he will have to do, and the newspapers will get the story.”
“What do you propose? I can’t just hide here when I know this much!”
“I’ll tell Will and see if we can keep things quiet, but I wouldn’t count on it. You call your sister before I call Will. As a matter of fact, since it’s now ten past two in the morning, I think we should call the sheriff when he gets to his office later on.”
“Josh, I remember the restaurants. My dad had a chain of restaurants and now Emily runs them. Mom and Dad are deceased. It’s coming back.”
“Good.”
“I’ll call Emily now.”
Josh stretched out his long arm and snagged the phone to hand to her. “Want me to leave?”
“No, but don’t start kissing me or I’ll lose my train of thought.”
“Will you really?”
She wiggled her nose at him. “You keep your distance. I’ll take all kinds of revenge if you don’t.”
“Sounds more tempting by the minute.”
“Josh Kellogg!” Suddenly she wrapped her arm around his neck and leaned forward to kiss him. This time he was surprised, but only for a second, and then he wrapped his arms around her tightly, reveling in her soft curves pressed against him. From that first day, she had done as she pleased, often surprising him.
He kissed her hungrily. She had started this, and this time she was going to have to be the one to stop. He slipped his hands beneath her nightie, cupping her breasts. He leaned down to take her nipple in his mouth, to flick his tongue over her taut bud.
“Josh,” she whispered, winding her fingers in his hair and then tugging up his
T-shirt. He paused, yanking the shirt over his head and tossing it away, and then he bent to kiss her again, first one breast and then the other. They might be worlds apart in their lives, but this moment they were here together, and she was willing and eager and passionate.
She shifted, twisting and hitching her leg so she was astride him, facing him. His pulse roared and he felt as if he were going up in flames as she wriggled out of her robe, yanked her nightie over her head and tossed it away. She still wore narrow, red bikini briefs that matched her nightie.
He couldn’t breathe, and he couldn’t stop looking at her as he cupped her full, soft breasts. She was gorgeous, even more beautiful than he had imagined, and he thought he was going to burn to cinders any second. Except he wasn’t. His body was hard, ready, and he wanted her. He leaned forward to take her nipple in his mouth again, circling the bud with his tongue while he caressed the other breast with his fingers.
Then he slid a hand down to the silk panties between her legs. She cried out as he caressed her intimately.
“Josh, Josh!” And then she pushed against his shoulders. She swung her long leg over him and stood, yanking up her robe to pull it on again. She turned to look down at him. “That got out of hand way too quickly. I need to find out about my past and fill in the gaps. I should call Emily,” she said solemnly.
He was torn between doing what she wanted and pulling her down to seduce her. As if she could read his thoughts, she moved away from him. “I really need to call Emily,” she said quietly.
“All right. Come sit down. I’ll leave.”
“No! I want you here,” she said, approaching him as if he were a crouching tiger. She sat with one knee bent, facing him as she reached past him for the phone.
Josh watched and waited, his body cooling only slightly. Tousled and aroused, she looked more desirable than ever.
“I don’t know how to get the number,” she said, looking at him.
He took the phone from her and ran his finger along her jaw. “Someday you’ll start something that can’t be stopped.”
“Maybe, but I know you’ll always stop if I want you to.”