She filled her lungs with a breath of clean, sea air “Judging by the beautiful weather today, you’d never guess that there was such a ferocious storm last night.”
“That’s typical Miami weather for you.”
“Yeah, I suppose it is.” Like strangers, they were reduced to talking about the weather. Inane conversation when there were so many personal issues to address. She’d never had a problem talking to Josh before. Their ability to communicate freely was one of the things she’d loved best about their friendship. She hated to think that last night might have put a crimp in that aspect of their relationship.
An awkward silence stretched between them, until she wanted to scream in frustration. She could feel his gaze on her, knew he was watching her, and finally gathered the fortitude to look at him and be done with it.
Up close and personal she noticed he looked different. Then the change registered-no dark stubble this morning. “You shaved,” she said, the words escaping before she could stop them.
He ran a palm over his smooth cheek, a grin creasing his mouth. “Yeah. I used your razor. And your toothbrush. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Considering the sensual things they’d done to one another during the course of the night, she wasn’t about to balk at that simple intimacy.
Catching sight of a light, purplish-blue discoloration on his jaw, she felt a wave of remorse wash over her. Without thinking, she reached out and lightly touched the tender spot. “You’re bruised.” Her voice was as soft as her gently probing fingers.
Awareness stirred in the depth of his gaze, darkening with the warmth of desire. For her. “You’ve got quite a left hook.”
Her pulse quickened, a feminine warning she heeded. Abruptly, she pulled her hand back. Lord, she couldn’t even touch him anymore, not even in casual concern, without sparks igniting between them. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize for touching me,” he said, deliber- ately misconstruing her apology. “I like the way your hands feel on me.”
His blatant admission caused a frisson of heat within her. The rogue wasn’t going to make this easy on her “Josh, about last night-”
“Do you regret what happened?” he interrupted.
“No, I don’t.” She couldn’t lie. She’d needed him in ways she couldn’t explain. A part of her still did, but she didn’t take the time to analyze those feelings. “But it happened for all the wrong reasons.”
He set his empty coffee mug on the round glass table then pinned her with a direct look. “I’d like to think i happened for a few right reasons.”
Like the need they had for each other. She pushed that thought aside and focused on the future, which didn’t include giving her heart to another man who risked his life on a daily basis. “Josh, please don’t do this.”
“Don’t do what?” Determination and an edge of anger flared in his eyes, turning them a rich shade of gold “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, or feel guilty about We’re both consenting adults, and we didn’t hurt anyone by making love.”
His approach was about as subtle as a battering ram “No, I won’t argue with that.”
Her ambiguous agreement seemed to annoy him even more, as if he’d been expecting, wanted even, a debate. His mouth stretched into a tight line and his brows creased. “Are you on any kind of birth control?”
“Birth control?” she echoed, momentarily startled by his very personal question.
“Yeah, birth control.” His hands came to rest on his lean hips, and his gaze locked on hers. “We didn’t use any protection last night, Paige.”
Her stomach took a dive, and she pressed a hand to her belly before she could consider what she was doing, and how her actions might look to Josh. “Uh, no, I’m not on any kind of birth control.” She’d gone off the Pill when Anthony had died. The possibility of getting pregnant had been the furthest thing from her mind when she’d asked Josh to make love to her. “But I should be fine. My period is due to start soon.”
Her verbal reassurance didn’t alleviate the concern glinting in his eyes. “Will you let me know if you’re pregnant?”
The image of herself round with Josh’s child flashed in her mind, and her heart skipped a beat. She wanted children so very badly, had always dreamed of having a large family one day. But the emotional complication of having Josh’s baby wasn’t something she wanted to contemplate. Being pregnant would irrevocably change her life, force her to make choices and decisions she hadn’t figured into the equation of her immediate future.
So she opted for more positive thoughts on the matter. “I’ll let you know when I start my period.” Desperately wanting a diversion from that intimate topic, she broached a more unpleasant issue she knew Josh would eventually address even if she didn’t. “Last night you said there was more I needed to know about Anthony and the case he was working on.”
It was his turn to shift mental gears. Grim resolve gradually replaced the firm possessiveness that had tightened his features. “Yeah, there’s more.”
She brushed back strands of hair fluttering across her cheek from the cool breeze. “I’m not going to like what I hear, am I?”
Slowly, he shook his head. “Probably not.”
She appreciated his honesty as much as she dreaded what lay ahead. “Then just give it to me straight. Nc beating around the bush and no sugarcoating.”
“Okay,” he said very carefully, giving her the impression he was preparing her for the worst. “Your life is at risk.”
She frowned, certain she’d misunderstood him. “Excuse me?”
“I said, your life is at risk.” His words were succinct, leaving no doubt in her mind that she’d heard him correctly the first time. “Since Anthony denied having the Ivanov necklace I told you about, and apparently he didn’t have it on him when he was killed, we’ve been informed by the other undercover officers that Carranza suspects you have the necklace or might know of its whereabouts.”
“That’s ludicrous!” Her voice was loud enough to send a nearby flock of seagulls into flight, their indignant squawks echoing along the shore. “I don’t know where the necklace is!”
“I believe you, but Carranza may not.” He stepped toward her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “They’ve searched all of Anthony’s personal be longings and turned up nothing. It’s only logical thai Carranza would have you checked out next.”
“Of course.” Acid burned in her empty stomach, and she swallowed to keep it from rising into her throat. “This Carranza person knew Anthony was married?”
“It wasn’t a secret that Anthony was married. Carranza could learn that information easily enough. Since Anthony was having an affair, word spread that you were just a pampered wife and that you and Anthony pretty much lived your own private lives.”
The bitterness finally escaped her in the form of broken laughter. It hurt, dammit, to think what a farce her marriage to Anthony had always been. To realize that Josh’s words held so much truth.
She moved away, and he let her go. Realizing just how wobbly her legs were, she slid into a chair next to the table. Letting out a deep breath, she looked to Josh for guidance. “Now what am I supposed to do?”
“Right now, our undercover officers are reportedly having you checked out.” Leaning his hip against the railing, he crossed his arms over his wide chest, looking every inch the tough, uncompromising detective he was. “As soon as they find some kind of evidence that you know something about the Ivanov necklace or its whereabouts, they’re to let Carranza know.”
“I told you,” she said through gritted teeth. “I don’t know anything about that necklace!”
Her snappish tone didn’t faze him. “I know you don’t, but the department has a strategy in mind, and it would be to our advantage to find the necklace. And we need your full cooperation to make the setup work.”
She gave him a tight, angry smile. “Do I have a choice in the matter?”
“Not since you’ve b
ecome Carranza’s main target. Lieutenant Reynolds and I agree that you need aroundthe-clock protection, but we can’t risk planting a bunch of men around the house, or being obvious in our sur- veillance.”
The ominous scenario his words projected caused a shiver of apprehension to skip down her spine. “The house has a security system.” Remembering that she hadn’t been using it when she’d opened the door to Josh last night, she added, “I’ll make sure I have the alarm on whenever I’m home.”
“That won’t protect you once you leave the house And we don’t know where, when, or how Carranza will approach you.”
Her skin crawled at the thought of this stranger, on any of his men, stalking her for something she didn’t even have. “So what are you suggesting?”
He settled into the chair next to hers and braced his forearms on his knees. Guarded was the only term thai could describe his expression. “Word is being sprea that Anthony’s widow has a live-in lover.”
She gaped in disbelief. “What?” This ridiculous plar was going too far!
“Paige,” he said, his patient tone cajoling her to be reasonable. “It’s the only believable way for me to stay here and protect you until we bust Carranza.”
Her mind registered the word me, as in Josh. Shod gave way to incredulity. “You’re posing as my lover?”
“Yes.” There was nothing in his serious expression to indicate that posing as her lover would be anything more than a job to him. A way to protect her, as he’d stated, despite that they had been lovers. “The under cover officers on this case have already filtered information about me to Carranza, which includes a false last name of Bennett, which you need to remember Right now, I’m unemployed and living with you.”
Her mind reeled with all the information he was loading onto her, and she fought to deny it. “This is crazy!”
“It’ll only be for a few weeks. A month, tops.” He reached for her hand and tucked it between both of his, making her realize how cold and clammy her palm was next to his warm, dry one. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you. So you can expect that I’ll be by your side whenever possible.”
“Even at work?” Surely he wasn’t going to shadow her steps every hour of the day?
“Your life will resume as normal-”
“You call this normal?” she asked, unable to tamp down the horrible hysteria clawing its way to the surface. “Go to hell, Josh!” Standing, she jerked her hand out of his grasp and started for the deck stairs leading to the beach.
He was lithe and agile, moving out of his own chair and blocking her path before she could bolt. “I call this saving your life,” he said, his tone low and ruthless enough to make her realize there would be no escaping him, or this awful situation, until it was officially over. “We’ll be planting an undercover officer at your boutique, so you’ll be protected while you’re working. You’ll never be alone, Paige, even when you think you are. There will always be someone watching over you, and for the most part, that will be me.”
Her chin lifted defiantly. “And what if I tell you I don’t want any part of this operation? That I refuse to cooperate?”
Something harsh and dangerous glittered in his eyes. “Then you could end up just like Anthony.”
If there had been anything in her stomach at the moment, she was certain it would have ended up on Josh’s loafers. Her entire body flashed hot, then cold. Little black dots danced in front of her eyes, and her vision began to blur. She knew she was going to faint, and she also knew there was nothing she could do about it.
Her knees buckled, and she heard a distant curse, then felt two hands wrap around her arms and guide her back until her knees hit something solid and she collapsed into a chair. A large hand cupped her neck and pushed her head down until it was between her knees.
“Breathe, Paige,” he commanded.
She did, drawing much-needed oxygen into her lungs until the wave of dizziness and nausea passed. When she finally felt stable again, she lifted her head and found Josh kneeling in front of her.
Swallowing to ease the dryness in her throat, she managed a smile. “I did say no sugarcoating, didn’t I?”
He laughed, the sound rough. “Yeah, you did.” With a tenderness that made her heart catch, he smoothed her hair away from her face, then dragged his thumb along her cheek. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry Anthony left you in this mess. But it’s too late to back out now, not with Carranza determined to find that necklace. It’s essential to the case, and your own life, that the department has your full cooperation. That I have your full cooperation. You understand that, don’t you?”
She understood that she’d be living with Josh for weeks and doing her best to avoid him and the memories of their one night together. She understood that her husband had been a criminal, even while he’d sworn to uphold the law. She understood that she’d have no life of her own until all this ended.
She hated every bit of it, but she understood.
“You have my full cooperation,” she said in a whisper, and knew she’d live by that pledge. Because if she didn’t, if she backed out and refused to participate in their grand scheme, she’d not only put her own life in jeopardy, but she’d risk Josh’s life, and the lives of a dozen other men as well. Good, honorable men.
Now that she’d guaranteed her assistance, she wanted it over as quickly as possible. “So, what do we do now?”
He breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Now we find the Ivanov necklace.”
THEY AGREED to start their search in the office, then work their way toward the front of the house. While Paige rummaged through drawers and closets for any shred of evidence, Josh checked the more inconspicuous spots in the rooms, odd places where Anthony could have rigged a false drawer, or used furniture as a prop to conceal the million-dollar necklace.
Nothing was left unexplored. No square inch of any room left untouched. Their search was thorough and lengthy-and companionable. The earlier personal strain between them had ebbed in view of the more pressing matter at hand. However, Josh had no intention of letting Paige conveniently dismiss what had happened the night before. Had no intention of letting her forget how simple need had evolved into desire and passion.
Last night had changed so much between them. Paige needed time to sort out her feelings, to come to terms with the changes in their relationship. Josh understood that, especially after everything he’d heaped on her in the past eighteen hours.
Right now, they had a necklace to find. Later, he’d concentrate on them.
“So, Detective Marchiano, what’s the great plan if we find the necklace?”
Josh replaced a watercolor painting back on the wall, then turned and gave her a wry grin. They were in her bedroom, and three hours into the search. She stood just outside of the master bathroom, having just gone through the drawers and cupboards beneath the vanity.
“Your faith in finding the Ivanov necklace astounds me.” He moved to the bed-determinedly blocking out images of Paige so warm and willing beneath him on that mattress-and patted down the throw pillows for any foreign lumps. “Concentrate on when, not if.”
Paige stood, hands on her hips, her gaze scanning the room, scrutinizing everything with a critical eye. “I told you that I’ve gone through most of Anthony’s things, and I haven’t found anything that would indicate he had a million-dollar necklace in his possession.” Moving to the nightstand, she opened the top drawer and sorted through the contents. “I haven’t come across a receipt for a safety-deposit box, or anything else of that nature.”
“I don’t think he’d use a safety-deposit box for this.” He stripped the covers off the bed and began inspecting the mattress for any odd seams or pockets. “I don’t know that for sure, of course, but if I’d stolen the necklace I’d hide it in a way that isn’t traceable by some kind of paper trail.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him as he picked up the ceramic lamp on the nightstand and checked to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with in any way.
“If there is no evidence of the necklace and its whereabouts, then how does this Carranza person know that Anthony stole it at all?”
He noted her concerned expression before heading toward the armoire against the far wall. “Good question,” he acknowledged, silently admiring the way she addressed important facts most people wouldn’t even consider. She was thinking like a detective, though he suspected she wouldn’t appreciate being enlightened as to her natural investigative instincts.
“From what we’ve learned, Anthony made the mistake of contacting a guy who fences stolen merchandise and asked him if he was interested in some diamonds and emeralds.” Opening the double doors to the armoire, he pulled out a cedar-lined drawer and found his hands immersed in a froth of silk and lace lingerie.
Damn. Heat licked through his veins, spiraling low. Quickly and efficiently he sifted through the sexy stuff that smelled as feminine as Paige. He found too much that piqued his interest, and nothing to warrant an extensive investigation of the contents of this particular drawer. He slammed it shut. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to banish the erotic images of Paige wearing a pair of those sheer panties and a matching wispy camisole.
“So, what happened?” Paige asked, jarring him out of his fantasy and effectively dousing his arousing mental vision.
He glanced over his shoulder. She slipped a hardbound book back into the nightstand and looked up at him with wide eyes full of interest. “Apparently, the fence has done business with Bridget before, and had heard about the missing Ivanov necklace. He knew he’d be rewarded for finding the jewels, not to mention stay on Carranza’s good side, and tipped Bridget off about Anthony’s inquiry.”
She raised a brow and stood. “Since there was no hard evidence that Anthony actually had the necklace, that’s pure speculation, don’t you think?”
He liked the way her mind worked, the way she didn’t settle for a pat explanation. “Yes and no,” he admitted. He took a moment to move the armoire and check the carpeting beneath, then arranged it back into place. “Bridget confronted Anthony about the inquiry, and he admitted he had the necklace and told her he’d cut her in on the deal. She’s very loyal to Carranza and didn’t go for it. When Carranza challenged him, Anthony denied everything. Carranza isn’t known for leniency or second chances.”
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