Josh watched Lexa as she spoke with him without meeting his eyes, as she talked with Clare as if they'd been friends for years. She was an enigma.
She'd turned up at the store for a tour. He'd been surprised how much that pleased him. Of course the way he'd been dressed, or rather, undressed... Her eyes on him had made his pulse gallop, his body throb. How often could simply a woman's gaze do that?
He still didn't know exactly what had happened at the store, though he could make a good guess. He'd mentioned five kids, wanting a big family. And she'd gotten as nervous as a scared rabbit. She was a career woman, all right. The thought of diapers and teething rings probably seemed dreary and unexciting. Though she'd been interested in infants' toys.
He definitely couldn't figure her out. She'd checked on Stanley. He couldn't fault the way she'd handled herself so far. As far as her advice to Clare, the house might not be such a bad idea. At least he didn't have to worry about his aunt being lonely.
Clare brought Josh's attention back to the conversation. "Lexa, would you like to play a game of Scrabble after dinner? If you distract him, I could win for a change."
Again, Lexa evaded his line of vision. "I'm sorry, Clare. But I have to make a few calls tonight that could be lengthy."
Josh couldn't help but think that was an excuse to leave, an excuse not to be there with him. "Business?"
"No. I'm working with an interdenominational church group. We'd like to get something going in the area for teenagers. We're trying to convince business concerns to buy a building and turn it into a teen center. The kids need activities to get them off the streets. The churches are willing to provide volunteers for manpower."
"It sounds like a difficult undertaking."
"It's a challenge."
"You like challenges."
"Yes, when I know the result will be worthwhile."
He liked challenges, too. And Alexandra Kittredge was fast becoming one.
After they'd finished supper and cleaned up the kitchen, Lexa went to the living room for her jacket. She'd been very careful not to get too close to him. Josh wondered if that was because she felt the same electricity he did.
When she said good-bye to Clare, Josh decided to tempt fate. "I'll walk you to your car."
"That's not necessary."
"I could use some fresh air. Clare, I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Take your time." His aunt gave him a wicked grin that had matchmaker stamped from one end to the other. She turned to Lexa and hugged her. "I'll see you at the Halloween Party if not before."
Lexa and Josh stepped outside into the crisp autumn air. Stray leaves flittered in the breeze. Josh walked with Lexa down the curved path cutting through the yard. "Did you have a good weekend with your sister?"
"It was nice."
"Are you close?"
Lexa smiled. "Yes. We're as different as night and day. But we've always had each other."
"The two of you against the world?"
She nodded, hesitated, then said, "Dani and I had problems with our step-mother. So that made our bond even stronger."
Josh stood on the sidewalk with Lexa, entranced with the gold in her hair shimmering under the streetlight's glow. "Are you going to the Halloween Party by yourself?"
"Yes."
"I could pick you up."
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
She ducked her head and took her keys from her purse. "It just isn't." She turned away to open her car door.
Deciding to confront her head-on, Josh clasped her shoulder. "Lexa, why are you running from me?"
CHAPTER FOUR
"I'm not running." Lexa could feel the heat of each of Josh's fingers burning through her jacket and blouse.
"Then go to the Halloween party with me."
Lexa knew she shouldn't. She suspected the more time she spent with Josh, the more time she'd want to spend with him. How had she gotten herself into this mess? She looked up at him and that was a mistake. His honest blue eyes enticed and excited her. Couldn't she have a taste of spending some time with him? Just a taste?
"All right. I'll go with you. But..."
"But?"
"But I can't get involved with anyone right now. If we go, we go as friends."
His gaze was filled with questions he didn't ask. Maybe because he guessed she wouldn't answer them. He smiled. "That sounds good to me."
***
Yes, friendship sounded good, Lexa thought as she poured herself a cup of punch. But deep down, she knew more than friendship was simmering between her and Josh.
They'd arrived an hour ago and had been socializing most of that time with Clare and her friends. Lexa felt very safe...until she looked at Josh. History had never seen a sexier or more handsome Dracula. His long legs encased in slim black trousers, the black turtleneck hugging his chest, the dramatic black cape trimmed in red. He'd discarded the mask soon after they'd arrived.
Someone's IPOD attached to a dock and speakers blared songs from the fifties and sixties. Lexa took a sip of punch.
A hand on her shoulder startled her.
"Okay, gypsy, let's see how good you are at the jitterbug."
She turned around, knowing the voice as well as she knew her own. "What if I don't know how?"
Josh grinned. "Something tells me you do. And if you don't, I'll teach you."
She set down her cup. "The jitterbug was one of the few dances I enjoyed learning when I was twelve and taking dancing lessons. At that age, I didn't want a boy any closer than the next room. It sure was better than the fox trot."
"And now?" He was teasing and serious at the same time.
"Now, I don't dance with boys."
Hot, dark desire sparked in Josh's eyes. He took her hand. "Let's see you jitterbug, gypsy."
She and Josh matched their basic step and then begun. Her full red skirt swirled around her when he twirled her; her white satin blouse clung as he spun her, guided her, pulled her into a sidecar position and swept her in a circle. When the dance was over, he pulled her to him and gave her a giant hug. "You were terrific."
His damp heat met hers and locked her to him. Her arms had automatically circled his back to return the hug. But she felt his belt buckle against her stomach, she smelled intoxicating male, and when she gazed into his eyes, she wanted to stroke his face. Impossible. Totally impossible. Where was her common sense?
She pulled out of his embrace and fanned herself with her hand.
"Need a breath of fresh air?"
"Sounds good."
They were only standing outside a few moments when Lexa realized fall was gone and winter was making its entrance, at least after the sun went down. She shivered.
"Do you want to go back in?"
Lexa took a few deep breaths, needing the sense-clearing of the colder air. "No. Not yet."
"Lexa, I want to see you again."
"Josh..."
"Give me a good reason why we shouldn't have fun together as we have tonight."
"You don't understand my life. I have commitments and I take them all seriously."
"So do I." After an uncomfortable pause, he asked, "Is your career all-important to you?"
It would be so easy to use that as an excuse, but it wouldn't be honest. "I enjoy my work. But my volunteer work is important, too."
"Has that been a problem before?"
Her volunteer work wasn't the only issue that had been a problem. But if Josh couldn't even accept the community activities... "Yes, it has. I've found men consider my meetings unimportant. And they are important, Josh, because they make a difference in people's lives."
Josh pushed a few of Lexa's curls away form her brow. So much passion. So much caring. Why? Yes, she was a busy woman and he'd sworn never again to get involved with someone like that. But she seemed to know how to play and have fun, too. She wasn't all work.
He wanted to get to know Lexa, to explore the vibrations humming every time they talked,
every time they touched. "I know what you do is important. Look at the difference the senior center has made in Clare's life. Did you see her dancing with Jim in there? I haven't seen her this happy in years."
"You do understand."
He caressed her cheek. "I do. So what do you say? Want to spend some time together?" He could feel her hesitancy as much as the frosty breeze that suddenly blew against his back. And he knew he couldn't stampede her. "What are your plans next weekend?"
"I'm going to Penn State to see Dani."
"When will you be back?"
"Sunday afternoon."
If he put the power in her hands, maybe she'd understand he didn't want to box her in. "Call me when you get back. Maybe we can go to dinner or something."
She still hesitated.
He tipped her chin up with his knuckle. "I want to see you again."
He leaned forward. Her stunning brown eyes were wide with indecision. Her mouth was slightly parted. Her soft hair curled enticingly around her pretty face. Desire, strong and potent, surged through him. But he sensed if he pushed, Lexa would be gone.
Instead of bending his head and exploring her lips, he dropped a light kiss on her forehead and backed away.
She looked confused. "Josh, if I don't call Sunday, it's not because I don't like you."
His brows hiked up. "It's because..."
"My life's complicated right now."
At this moment, he wanted to be one of the complications. He'd give her the space she needed...for a while. But if she didn't call Sunday, he'd try again.
***
Lexa plopped her overnight case in her bedroom and stared at the phone by her bed. Should she call Josh? Dare she? Could he possibly want to get involved with a woman who was going to adopt a baby? A woman who couldn't have more children? Didn't she deserve a chance to find out?
She looked up his number in the phone book and dialed.
Josh picked it up immediately. "Hello?"
"It's Lexa. I'm back." She wished she could see his face. Maybe there was nothing special between them. Maybe he was like Richard... "Uh, do you still want to get together?"
"Get together. That has a world of possibilities," he teased.
Her stomach fluttered.
"Lexa? Of course, I want to get together. Do you have a back yard?"
"What?"
"A back yard. Do you have one?"
"Yes. But why?"
"Is it big?"
"It's long and narrow."
"Great. I have a toy to try out. I'll be right over."
"Do you know where I live?"
"I checked Google's yellow pages. I don't need directions. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
After Lexa said good-bye, she felt as if she had been caught in a revolving door. He had so much energy, seemed to know exactly what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go. She remembered him saying, "When I have five kids..." Had she made a mistake calling him?
When Lexa heard a car pull into the driveway to her town house, she peeked out the window. She saw Josh looking at something in his trunk. She pulled her suede jacket out of the closet and went outside. His car was a hybrid. Josh was gathering cellophane packages out of his trunk that looked as if they contained pieces of long white Styrofoam.
He tucked the packages under one arm and slammed the trunk. When he saw her, he smiled--one of those devastating smiles that weakened her knees. She felt inordinately happy to see him. "What do you have?"
He draped his arm around her shoulders as if he had been doing it all his life and walked beside her. "They're gliders. They operate on a boomerang principle. If you fly them correctly, they come back to you."
She could feel the strength in his arm, the strength in him. "How far do they fly?"
"Twenty or thirty feet. At least that's what the instructions say. We'll see."
They crossed the front yard and walked along the side of the house to the back. Lexa glanced at the packages under his arm. "Instructions. Does that mean we have to put them together?"
He shrugged. "They're supposed to be easy to assemble. We don't have to paste on the decals before their maiden voyages."
Josh and Lexa sat on the back porch steps and ripped open the packages. Lexa watched Josh maneuver the wing across the body of the glider.
He glanced at her and asked, "How was your visit with your sister?"
"It was fine." Lexa wished she could tell Josh all about it. It would be wonderful to be able to confide in someone like Dani confided in her, but for now...
Josh didn't press her further but assembled his glider.
"How's yours coming?"
She wiggled the wings of the plane into the body. "It looks like yours."
They stood and walked to the middle of the yard. Autumn danced all around them from the orange and crimson leaves on the tall maples to the brisk breeze that hinted at a November wind. The low riding sun was blocked by Josh's shoulders, broad in his denim jacket, and outlined him until he took on a fairy tale quality. But Lexa had learned long ago that life was no fairy tale.
He held up his hand, crossed his fingers, and gave her a heart-stopping grin. Then he sent the glider on a test run.
A gust of wind made it veer crazily and crash.
"This is going to take practice," he called as he chased after it.
Lexa tried to follow the directions, to fly the plane in a certain arc, but hers too fell on the grass. She and Josh chased back and forth for a half hour until Lexa found exactly the right combination of wrist movements.
When the glider arched, dove and came back to her, she caught it in one hand. "I did it!"
Josh approached her and stood at her elbow. "Now you can teach me."
Josh watched Lexa's face instead of her hands. He seemed to be trying to see into her soul. When he reached out and ran his thumb along her cheekbone, she trembled. She'd never reacted like this to a man and it scared her to death.
She backed up and he dropped his hand. With a gentle smile, he asked, "So what do I have to do?"
He meant with the glider, of course. She showed him a second time.
Josh sailed the glider again unsuccessfully. Looking up at the sky, he said to no one in particular, "Do I have patience or what?" He jogged and retrieved the plane that had crashed.
Lexa launched her glider once more and it came back. Josh watched carefully and when he let go of his, it sailed forward, dove and came back. "Now I've got it. Maybe I should set up a section in the store so we can give instructions." Suddenly he gestured at the sky. "Look at that."
The sun was setting and the shadows were long. The blue sky had become shot through with purple, rose and orange.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she murmured. "Sunsets are like the ocean. When I look at them, feel surrounded by them, in awe of them, I get chills and almost feel like crying."
"It's the expansiveness, the miracle of creation."
Instead of the sunset, she looked at him. "I'm surprised you understand. Men usually scoff and call that kind of thinking sentimentality."
"It's not sentimental to appreciate artistry and beauty. Listening to a symphony can evoke the same feeling. I don't know why most men are afraid of that. But I believe if they're afraid of that, they're afraid of love. It comes from the same source."
Lexa took a step back from him. How did they get to the subject of "love"?
Josh took the glider from her hand and laid it on the grass next to his. When he straightened, he rested his hands on her shoulders. "For some reason, I scare you. Why, Lexa?"
His perception caught her off guard. "I...I don't know. I like you, Josh, but there are things you don't know about me."
"I have plenty of time to find out what they are if you let me in."
Could she let him into her life? Could she take the risk? "Josh, I'm not sure--"
"Maybe this will help you be sure."
He bent his head and slowly lowered his mouth to hers. He began softly but with firm pressu
re. After a few moments, his tongue teased back and forth along the seam of her lips.
Lexa's heart fluttered like a trapped hummingbird and the air whooshed from her lungs as she opened to him. Her hand moved from his shoulder to the back of his neck. As his tongue sweetly probed, her fingers played in his hair.
He kissed like a man who knew how to love, knew how to touch and wanted to be touched in return. She'd been kissed before. All kinds of kisses--beard scratching kisses, invitation to bed kisses, weak kisses, domineering kisses. But Josh's kiss was lyrical, gentle yet masterful, giving yet taking, and evocative, so evocative. It wasn't just his lips and tongue, but the tenderness of his hold, the exciting unfamiliarity of his long, strong body.
Josh's hand released hers and caressed the side of her face. She sighed and his tongue became more seductive, encouraging hers to play. Finally, he slowed down and ended the kiss.
Lexa stared up at him, disoriented, aroused, and embarrassed. "We shouldn't have done that." She didn't know if she was trying to convince him or herself.
His voice was husky. "Why not?"
"Because...because it confused me. I'm not usually like this."
"Let's try it again and maybe it will unconfuse you," he suggested with a renegade smile.
She pulled her arms from around his neck and placed her hands on his chest in case he might try.
He sighed and stepped back. "Can you honestly tell me you didn't want me to kiss you?" His eyes challenged her to admit what she felt.
Lexa nervously brushed her bangs to the side. There was something irresistible about Josh. Maybe it was his sense of fun. But she had to resist, didn't she?
His eyes seemed to swallow her as he gathered her close to him again. The only place to put her arms was around his neck. The first kiss had been a prelude. The second one... His lips sealed to hers. His tongue asked her to open. This kiss was pure feeling, pure passion, a coming together.
Lexa's world spun and she hung onto Josh for support. The slight prickle of his beard, the fragrance of his cologne, the heat of his lips, the skill of his tongue intoxicated her.
Josh could feel Lexa's need as much as his--the cataclysmic potential they shared. His tongue tempted hers to reciprocate. When she did, he took her deeper into his mouth. She yielded to him and became soft in his arms. The hesitancy was gone.
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