Joshua
Joshua (Risking Love Book5)
Callie Carmen
ASIN: B08M6GGLNZ
https://books2read.com/u/bxjYko
Chapter One
Bella
Five Months Earlier
I’d longed to see Joshua for the past few months. He was finally back from his business trip to Britain and I was desperate for some alone time with him. I hadn’t seen him since our first date, when he took me to Chicago for the day. I was dying to find out if the kiss goodnight that he had given me had been full of passionate sparks like I remembered, or whether I’d built it up in my head since he’d been gone these past few months.
All my friends were married or getting married, and I was starting to feel like a third wheel when we got together. Unfortunately, I had no prospects for even a steady relationship with someone.
Over the past year, I had wasted my time on a relationship that had gone absolutely nowhere. I was beginning to worry that true love was not in the cards for me, and that I could eventually get left behind by my friends who frequently double-dated as couples. Just last week, Patrick and Jaq had gone to a concert with Nicolas and Carlie. More often Patrick and Jaq, and Nicolas and Carlie, went to soccer and football games with Joseph and Violet.
While Joshua had been away on business in the United Kingdom, I hadn’t sat at home pining over a man that I might never see again. I’d been on a few dates with Marcus, a sexy cocktail bar owner. My friend Carlie would be Marcus’s cousin after she married Nicolas.
I’d even slept with Marcus on our last date, and in one night of passion he had more than made up for the dry spell in the bedroom I’d been under for a full year with my ex-boyfriend. Marcus was a lot of fun, but the man had a reputation as a player. In my book, that most likely meant he couldn’t be trusted, and I didn’t want to get involved with another relationship that went nowhere, or worse, in one where I might get cheated on. So even though I was attracted to him, and he’d shown a good deal of interest in me, I’d kept a distance between us. I only saw him now and then.
Today I planned to learn more about Josh. Hopefully, I’d find out that the spark I’d felt with him on our first date had been worth fantasizing about.
I was in the front seat of his truck enjoying the view as I looked over at Josh, who was driving us to my lake house. He had looked stunning in a suit the night I’d met him at my friend’s wedding, but now, in a black t-shirt and jeans, he looked hot. “I’m so glad you were available to spend the day with me at my family’s cottage. It looks like we will have perfect weather for some fun on the lake.”
“I’m looking forward to it, Bella. Will your family be there, or do we have the place to ourselves?”
“No, we’ll be alone for the day. My family’s going to a wedding.”
I was dying to know if Josh had ever been married. I mean, the man was gorgeous. How was he still single? I knew it was forward to ask if he’d been married, but it wasn’t like the topic of weddings hadn’t come up. I’d said I planned to learn more about him today, and I meant it.
“If you don’t mind my asking, have you ever been married?”
He shook his head. “If you climb in the saddle, be ready for the ride.”
I giggled. “Is that a Kentucky horse rancher saying?”
“Darling, that’s one of my father’s many teaching tools,” he said, with an edge in his tone.
I wondered what that was about but decided not to push the issue.
“I haven’t found the one to get me on the saddle yet. I’ve been busy working my way up the ladder in the auto industry. I’ve been traveling a lot for work. I have to take off for Essex again on Sunday. I’m afraid it’ll be a while before we get to see each other again.”
“Porca miseria!” I couldn’t get a break. He was leaving, and I had hoped that he would be the one that would steal my heart. How could he do that if I couldn’t get more than an occasional date? My chest tightened.
He laughed. “You know, I was in Britain for over a year and spent plenty of time visiting one of our company suppliers in Italy. I learned all of their colorful words, so what’s the ‘dammit’ for?”
I felt heat rush up my body. Shoot, I’d have to control my outbursts. Fat chance of that.
“I think that means you’ll miss me?” He winked, and I shivered.
“Maybe.” I smiled.
“Really? We will see about that.” His eyes caressed my body with invisible fingers that ran from my thighs to my breasts. The fire in his gaze connected with my gaze before turning back to the road.
In that moment, every inch of me burned to be possessed by him. I wanted him to ravish my body. I could envision him standing behind me, tying a blindfold over my eyes, and could almost feel his warm breath on my neck making me shiver. The touch of his lips, and fingertips would bring heightened sensations, because each one would be a surprise if I were blindfolded and unable to see. I squeezed my thighs together to help stop the throbbing between my legs, but it didn’t work. I almost missed the turn to my cottage.
“Whoa, turn right here,” I screeched.
Josh slammed on the breaks of his Ford F-150 truck, and even though I had my seatbelt on, he swung his right arm across my chest, pushing me back against my seat as the force of the stop thrust me forward. I found his protectiveness old-fashioned and sexy. He took the turn onto Kunkle Point Road, and the dust swished up around his black truck.
“Darlin’, remind me not to take any road trips with you if you’re the one giving out the directions.” He chuckled. Then he slid his arm away from my chest, accidently brushing my nipples.
I gave a soft gasp of surprise and pleasure. “Sorry about that. I was daydreaming.”
“That must have been some daydream.”
Blood pumped through my veins at a quickened pace. There was no way I was telling him what I had been thinking about. Josh oozed a blatant sexuality that I was drawn to. It had me wanting to do things with him I’d only daydreamed about in my fantasies. I hoped that I wouldn’t have to wait long to find out how sensual and perhaps experimental he could be.
“So, I’ve rendered you speechless,” he quipped.
He was having too much control over my body. I needed to turn the tables on him. “No. I’m just busy thinking about all the things I’m planning to do with you today.”
He made a low rumble and quickly changed the subject. “Bella, it really is beautiful here.”
I agreed with him. The flat dirt road led to the top of a steep hill and ran all the way to a dead end, where there was the most breathtaking view of the lake and a few of the islands. The road was lined with giant pine trees on both sides. We’d passed a lovely stone cottage on the left, and then there would be a clearing that allowed us to see down to the lake in front of the cottage. It was breathtaking.
“A child couldn’t ask for a better place to spend their summers with their family,” he said.
“You are so right. My best memories of childhood all happened here. It’s my favorite place to come.” I looked out the window and daydreamed about sailing, fishing, water-skiing, and so much more.
“Whoa,” was all I got out before Josh slammed on the breaks again, protecting me with his arm across my chest. I could get used to his protectiveness. I giggled to myself and I chanced a glance his way, only to be greeted by a big, fat, smirk that seemed to say Yes, I almost missed our turn again. Get over it. Geesh.
But he just shook his head. “I assume we’ve reached our destination?”
“Yes, and I suggest you back down the driveway. As you can see, it’s at a twenty-five-degree angle, so it is much easier to get back up if you’re facing forward when you leave. When you reach the bottom, you’ll see that the drive divides into two. Pull into the left side. The other leads to Ms. Lovelace’s cottage.” I was grateful to see that her car was not in the driveway. She was a very nice neighbor, but way too friendly. She had an unwelcome habit of entering our home without knocking first, and I wanted nothing to impede what little time I had to spend with Josh.
As he parked the truck, his phone rang. I picked it up from his cup holder to hand it to him, and I saw a picture of a blonde, blue-eyed beauty. Angry heat rushed through my body. I was mad at myself, because I hadn’t asked him if he was in a serious relationship. No matter how much I was into this guy, I didn’t need the drama of a man who was seeing someone else. I listened.
“Hey, little darlin’. How are you?”
I couldn’t hear her response, which was driving me crazy.
He laughed. “Now you know better than that. I want nothing to do with my father, and he wants nothing to do with me. That’s just my mother talking.” He grunted. “Tell me, are you still driving me to the airport on Sunday and house-sitting for me while I’m away?”
Silence again, except for the thumping pulse in my head.
“That’s my girl. I knew I could count on you,” he said with a smile.
His girl. Was he kidding me? It was one thing to be seeing another woman, after all, I was seeing Marcus, but it was another to flaunt her right in front of me. My Italian blood was boiling.
Chapter Two
Joshua
It had been a godsend when, after college, Ava Kinkaid moved from her family’s ranch in Kentucky to an apartment twenty minutes from my house in the north. She was my only tie to Kentucky where we had grown up together, other than my monthly call to my mother.
Her family owned the horse ranch that butted up against my family’s land. She had followed me around the farm from the time she was five years old. If I was fishing, she tagged along. If I was doing chores, she’d be nearby singing songs. When she’d gotten old enough to ride, we’d exercised our family’s horses together and had ridden through the many trails on our two properties.
At first, I’d thought of her as a pest. After all, she was five years younger than me. But the older she’d gotten, the more things she’d been able to do on her own. And I had begun to welcome her company. When I left for college at eighteen, she was twelve years old, and she had shown up to send me off. I still remember the tears that had run down her cheeks as she’d waved goodbye. It had crushed my heart. The poor kid had lost her best friend and had been stuck with a father just as pigheaded and old-fashioned as mine, while I got to go off on a new adventure.
When she’d moved to Michigan, we picked up right where we had left off, as good friends. A few months back I’d mentioned that I was off to Essex for work, and she had offered to house-sit for me. She had enjoyed staying in my place rather than her apartment so much that I’d asked her if she wanted to do it again this time.
I parked my truck and grabbed the groceries and my duffle bag from the back seat. Bella got out of my truck and slammed the passenger door. I raised a brow in annoyance, After all, she could have shattered the window by slamming it so hard. She was so petite that I couldn’t see her over the top of the truck, so I rounded the truck to where she stood.
She huffed out air at the sight of me and folded her arms across her chest. Her olive skin had a flushed pink tint, and I would have sworn that she was pissed at me.
Had I missed something? Had she wanted me to open her door? She didn’t seem the type that would like that kind of thing on such a casual type of date. I would have opened the door for her if we’d gone out to a nice restaurant, of course. But not here on the dirt driveway, with broken clamshells spread round.
“What’s wrong? Are you mad at me for not opening your door? Or what?”
She plopped her fisted hands onto her hips and stared at me. She looked so adorable in that stance, with her eyes shooting fire, that I wanted to grab her and kiss those plump duck lips. But the next thing out of her mouth was.
“Stai scherzando?”
If memory served, she had just asked, “Are you kidding me?”
Geez, was Bella going to be a high maintenance girl? I didn’t need a drama queen for a girlfriend. I was at a point where I was looking for the love of my life. Someone I had a strong connection with that matched both my passion and my intellect. I had thought that could be Bella, but now I wasn’t so sure, since she’d gotten her little panties in a wad over something so small.
As I was about to say something I was sure I’d regret, she held her hand straight up and said, “Don’t talk to me.”
I wanted to take her over my knee to teach her a lesson. She was acting like a child. Then I remembered my mother’s favorite saying: Silence is sometimes the best answer.
Right then, I felt something hit me in the head and drip onto my forehead. I looked at Bella. Her eyes were huge, and her mouth had dropped open. I swooshed my hand across my forehead and looked at it. There was a blob of bird shit.
Bella burst out laughing.
Figuring there was more than one way to deal with her bad attitude, I pretended like I was going to wipe my hand on her. She screeched and hightailed it down the path to the cottage. She laughed all the way there.
I’d be damned, I roared along with her. Maybe this would work out. I followed her but kept enough distance between us that she could have fun thinking she had kept away from me.
I stopped on the top step leading down to the back door to look at the environment, while she dug in her purse for the keys. The beautiful two-story cottage was surrounded on three sides by giant pine trees that made me feel relaxed and happy inside.
She saw me admiring the landscape and said, “Many years ago my father had the lower branches cut from the trees at the front of our home, so we had a clear view of the lake. I’ll show you that in a bit.” She unlocked the back door, which took us right into the large family kitchen.
I put the groceries on the counter and went straight to the kitchen sink and washed up. Then I took a look around. There was a giant antique table with claw feet that had been painted light blue. Each of the ten chairs surrounding it were painted in different colors. It made my heart smile. Someone in this family had a colorful personality like my mother, who painted in her spare time.
Bella led me into the family room which was filled with an oversized comfy sofa and chairs that faced a giant stone fireplace.
“Holy smokes, that is one heck of a fireplace.”
“Thank you. My mother, brother, and I carried every one of those large stones up from the beach to my father, who built it as we delivered the rocks. It was hard work, but definitely worth the effort.”
Well, I’ll be damned, she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. A down-to-earth kind of woman. I loved knowing that about her. It made me feel warm inside. She reminded me of the women that worked around our horse ranch. I had always admired them. There was plenty of hard, physical work to be done on the farm, and the women there were all about pitching in to help.
“You surprise me at every turn.” I dropped my bag, and put my arm around her, and pulled her in for a sweet kiss. “Your father must be one hell of a man to have built this beauty. I’m impressed.”
“You think this is good; he also built the one next door. It used to belong to my aunt and uncle, but they sold it after their daughter died. She was only fourteen, and it kind of took the wind out of their sails. This was their daughter’s favorite place to come. They couldn’t bear coming here without her.
“Mrs. Lovelace lives there now. She’s a nice lady, but she comes into our cabin without knocking. It can be a little awkward, seeing how Dad likes to walk around in his boxers in the evening.”
“I feel for him. That’s what I usually wear when I’m home alone.”
I watched as her eyes undressed me. She quivered, and my muscles tightened in raw need. Her response to my words had me wanting to carry her to the couch to make love. But we had just walked in the door and I didn’t want her to think that was the reason I’d said yes to coming to her cottage. I wanted to get to know her better, because so far, I liked everything about her. She was damn smart. Between her kisses and her outbursts, I could tell she was full of passion. At the same time, she filled me with lust, and I wanted to tie her hands to the bedpost and make love to every inch of her body until she screamed that she couldn’t take anymore.
Before I could comment, she said, “Come on, I’ll show you where to put your bag. Then I want to show you the view from the front porch.”
She took me into the bedroom at the bottom of the stairs and I placed my bag on the bed. Then she took my hand and led me to the large enclosed porch that overlooked the lake, with trees intermittently spread out across the three-tiered lawn in such a way that they allowed a full view.
“Bella, your father is a genius. This view is magnificent.”
“My dad is brilliant, and he only had an eighth-grade education. He purchased the two lots that were located right at the beginning of the bay.”
“I’d like to meet your father someday. It sounds like he could give a few of my engineers a run for their money.” I winked at her.
“I bet he could.” She beamed. “We had the advantage of being able to take off from our dock at full speed for water-skiing. Every cottage before ours can only go ten miles per hour. They have to ride out past our homes before they could get up the speed to ski. It made things quiet here. Nothing more than gentle waves rocked our docks as a boat drove slowly by.” She grinned. “My uncle used to sit on his dock with rocks. If anyone went by going fast, he would yell and throw a stone at them. I was young, and remember being mortified, but now I think it’s funny.”
“I would have loved to have seen that.”
“I think what you’d like to see is the neighbor two doors down. She lies on her dock sunbathing topless.” She gave me a sly smile.
“I’d rather see you doing the same thing, but only if I’m sitting with you and we are alone.” I felt molten sexuality surge through me. I shared that feeling with her with a smoldering stare.
She took a strand of hair that had blown onto her cheek and twirled it around her finger. Her grin was playful and inviting.
I traced the delicate silkiness of her lower lip with my finger. She gave a whispered gasp which fed my hunger to taste her. I cupped her head and kissed her lips. She gave a breathy little moan, making me want more of her. I pressed harder and parted her lips with my tongue. She groaned into my mouth and leaned into the kiss. Electricity sparked through me as her breasts pressed against my chest and I felt her erect nipples. I yearned to roll the pebbled tips between my fingers. Our breaths mingled in soft pants when I pulled back and kissed her forehead.
She felt so good in my arms, but I needed to slow down. I was leaving for the UK again soon. I wanted us to spend time today getting to know each other better, and then I’d feel better about taking this burning passion I felt for her to the next level.
I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw were two brightly colored antique rockers. I gave her a squeeze, released her, and took that moment to calm my racing pulse. I looked up and down the porch that ran the length of her family’s summer home. There were another six large wooden rocking chairs each painted a different color, just like the antique kitchen chairs. I chuckled inside. “Tell me. Who has the artist’s soul in the family?”
“What do you mean?”
“After looking at the kitchen table and chairs, and now at these rockers, it’s clear someone in your family is definitely into art.”
She gave me a broad grin. “It’s my mother. You should have been here a year ago. She had the outside of our cottage painted pink. It was bright. She’s a positive, happy person, and it comes out in the crafts she makes, from furniture to quilts.”
“I like it. This is a place to let all your workweek stress turn into relaxation, and a happy place to feed the soul.”
She looked up at me with twinkling eyes.
“What?” I asked, wondering what I’d said to cause that twinkle.
“You sound like my mother. She’s always saying, ‘Not to worry. Be happy.’”
Her mother sounded more and more like my mother, whom I adored. The thing that broke my heart the most was that I no longer got to go home to visit her since my father and I’d had our falling out.
Bella looked at me with a raised brow. I must have shown the melancholy that came over me when I thought of not being able to go home to see Mom.
“I think I’d like your mother,” I said. “In my position in the auto industry, the stress levels at times are so elevated that I get headaches and have trouble falling asleep. Those things usually happen when some of my programs are being held up by technical complications at the supplier. Sometimes they give us a date for delivery and it ends up being a few weeks after that deadline, which forces us to find ways to make up that time so we don’t shut down the production line. Sometimes I have to take your mom’s advice and find a way not to worry and to be happy. Otherwise, I’d have an ulcer or worse.”
Bella
I wished I could be there for him. I’d help relieve some of that stress with home-cooked meals and conversation about his day, so he could get it off his chest, and later we could make love. Fat chance of that happening with him flying off overseas. “That sounds terrible. Why do you stay in the auto industry?”
“I’ve always thrived on hard work, which I guess I get from my father. The man pushes himself and the rest of his staff to be the best horse breeders in the state of Kentucky. And he is damn good at it.”
Hmm, his words sounded like he was proud of his father, but there was still an edge of coolness to his tone when he talked about the man. It sounded like they didn’t get along. I hoped that wasn’t the case. I loved that I was close to my parents and that I could talk with them about almost anything. I hoped for his sake that he had that special bond with his parents too.
“Cars and trucks always thrilled me,” he said. “I love everything about them. But I’ve recently decided that I’ve had it with overseas expat assignments. Luckily, I only have a few months left of the one I’m on now in Britain. I want to find the love of my life, settle down, and eventually start a family. And there is no way I can do that if I’m out of the country for a couple of years. That isn’t my idea of a happy relationship. I want to be there for my wife and children.”
My insides turned to mush hearing that he wanted a relationship like I had always wished I’d be lucky enough to have in my life. One like my parents had with each other. They were still madly in love after thirty-five years of marriage.
“I’d like to coach my kids’ baseball or softball team or be their 4-H or Scout leader. My father never had time for what he called that nonsense. He never made it to my games.”
I was beginning to understand the tension I heard when he mentioned his father. It seemed that his dad had been a distant parent. Poor Josh.
“I’ve seen too many guys in my position end up divorced. Some fooled around on their spouses. Or their spouse back home got lonely and cheated. That will not happen to me. I’ve had enough traveling for business. After this trip, I’m telling them I’m done with it.”
I felt like I was floating after that news. A happy marriage and being a good father were more important to him than the career that had been his focus for the past several years. Maybe I’d fit into his world after all, and perhaps we would fall in love.
“How sad for your colleagues. I’m so happy that you’re planning a different course for yourself.”
He gave me a brilliant smile that caused a swarm of butterflies to lift off in my stomach.
I picked up my beach bag. “Why don’t you get your suit on and we’ll sail to one of the small islands? I’ll get changed in the bathroom, while you change in the bedroom.”
He glanced towards the bedroom, looked back at me, and our eyes met. The heat in his gaze filled me with desire and warmed my body. It felt like a silent request for me to join him in the bedroom. I moaned inside.
I wanted that too, but there would be plenty of time for that later, and if I took him to one of the smaller islands, we might fool around there. I trembled at the possibility of making love in the sunshine. I wondered if he’d be up for that. Hah, up for that. That was a good one.
The wind was usually perfect for sailing this time of day. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity for some exhilarating gliding. I grabbed my beach bag and headed for the bathroom. I felt his eyes on me until I shut the bathroom door.
A few minutes later, I walked out into the family room in a yellow bikini that clipped between my breasts. The bottom was held together with a bow on each hip. Two little pulls and one little pop of the clip was all that kept me from being naked. I felt sexy in this suit, and I hoped that Josh would feel the same when he saw me.
The bedroom door was open, so I peeked in and saw he had put his clothes into his duffle bag, which was on top of the dresser. I walked out to the porch and looked down at the dock, and there was Josh setting up the sail. I was pleased that he was being so helpful without my asking. I could see that he already had the dagger in, and it looked like he knew what he was doing. But I’d need to make sure the dagger was put in the right direction.
I went to the kitchen and made us lunch. Then headed down to the lake with an oversized beach towel in one hand and a large Ziploc bag containing our lunch in the other.
When Josh heard the creak of the dock, he looked up from putting the pin into the rudder hole to lock it in place. “Holy smokes. Are you trying to kill me wearing that sweet little bikini? Darlin’, you look hot,” he said as he stepped out of the boat.
Tingles sparked across my body. I had gotten the reaction that I had hoped for, so I added extra sway to my step. Unfortunately, with my eyes on him, I hadn’t noticed the handle of the small paddle inching out from under his towel. I tripped on it and lost my balance. He reached out and put his hands on my hips just in time to stop me from falling into the water. Feeling his fingers over the bows holding my swimsuit on sent fire through me and I became wet. I prayed the wetness didn’t show when I sat down in the boat with him.
He pulled me into his arms. “Are you alright? You’re flushed. Did that give you a scare?” He bent down and kissed my shoulder, neck, and earlobe, and I trembled.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ve got you.” He released my hips, took hold of my butt cheeks and pressed me tight against his body. I felt his erection against my navel. He didn’t have a shirt on, and being pressed up against all that hard, sweaty heat almost made my knees collapse.
He cupped my chin and lifted it so I could gaze into his eyes. I swore I saw sparks of lust in them as he took my lips to his mouth in a deep sensual kiss that curled my toes.
Oh my God. Every time he kissed me it felt like heaven. I thought it would lessen each time, only it made the tingles in my body more intense. I wasn’t complaining; I was just surprised by the control he seemed to have over my body. I could get used to this powerful feeling of hunger that he effected in me.
He released me as I gasped for air.
“Ready to go?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
Yeah, right back up to the cottage to make love.
I cleared my throat. “Absolutely. We have to go while the wind is strong.” Porca miseria.
Callie Carmen
ASIN: B08M6GGLNZ
https://books2read.com/u/bxjYko
Chapter One
Bella
Five Months Earlier
I’d longed to see Joshua for the past few months. He was finally back from his business trip to Britain and I was desperate for some alone time with him. I hadn’t seen him since our first date, when he took me to Chicago for the day. I was dying to find out if the kiss goodnight that he had given me had been full of passionate sparks like I remembered, or whether I’d built it up in my head since he’d been gone these past few months.
All my friends were married or getting married, and I was starting to feel like a third wheel when we got together. Unfortunately, I had no prospects for even a steady relationship with someone.
Over the past year, I had wasted my time on a relationship that had gone absolutely nowhere. I was beginning to worry that true love was not in the cards for me, and that I could eventually get left behind by my friends who frequently double-dated as couples. Just last week, Patrick and Jaq had gone to a concert with Nicolas and Carlie. More often Patrick and Jaq, and Nicolas and Carlie, went to soccer and football games with Joseph and Violet.
While Joshua had been away on business in the United Kingdom, I hadn’t sat at home pining over a man that I might never see again. I’d been on a few dates with Marcus, a sexy cocktail bar owner. My friend Carlie would be Marcus’s cousin after she married Nicolas.
I’d even slept with Marcus on our last date, and in one night of passion he had more than made up for the dry spell in the bedroom I’d been under for a full year with my ex-boyfriend. Marcus was a lot of fun, but the man had a reputation as a player. In my book, that most likely meant he couldn’t be trusted, and I didn’t want to get involved with another relationship that went nowhere, or worse, in one where I might get cheated on. So even though I was attracted to him, and he’d shown a good deal of interest in me, I’d kept a distance between us. I only saw him now and then.
Today I planned to learn more about Josh. Hopefully, I’d find out that the spark I’d felt with him on our first date had been worth fantasizing about.
I was in the front seat of his truck enjoying the view as I looked over at Josh, who was driving us to my lake house. He had looked stunning in a suit the night I’d met him at my friend’s wedding, but now, in a black t-shirt and jeans, he looked hot. “I’m so glad you were available to spend the day with me at my family’s cottage. It looks like we will have perfect weather for some fun on the lake.”
“I’m looking forward to it, Bella. Will your family be there, or do we have the place to ourselves?”
“No, we’ll be alone for the day. My family’s going to a wedding.”
I was dying to know if Josh had ever been married. I mean, the man was gorgeous. How was he still single? I knew it was forward to ask if he’d been married, but it wasn’t like the topic of weddings hadn’t come up. I’d said I planned to learn more about him today, and I meant it.
“If you don’t mind my asking, have you ever been married?”
He shook his head. “If you climb in the saddle, be ready for the ride.”
I giggled. “Is that a Kentucky horse rancher saying?”
“Darling, that’s one of my father’s many teaching tools,” he said, with an edge in his tone.
I wondered what that was about but decided not to push the issue.
“I haven’t found the one to get me on the saddle yet. I’ve been busy working my way up the ladder in the auto industry. I’ve been traveling a lot for work. I have to take off for Essex again on Sunday. I’m afraid it’ll be a while before we get to see each other again.”
“Porca miseria!” I couldn’t get a break. He was leaving, and I had hoped that he would be the one that would steal my heart. How could he do that if I couldn’t get more than an occasional date? My chest tightened.
He laughed. “You know, I was in Britain for over a year and spent plenty of time visiting one of our company suppliers in Italy. I learned all of their colorful words, so what’s the ‘dammit’ for?”
I felt heat rush up my body. Shoot, I’d have to control my outbursts. Fat chance of that.
“I think that means you’ll miss me?” He winked, and I shivered.
“Maybe.” I smiled.
“Really? We will see about that.” His eyes caressed my body with invisible fingers that ran from my thighs to my breasts. The fire in his gaze connected with my gaze before turning back to the road.
In that moment, every inch of me burned to be possessed by him. I wanted him to ravish my body. I could envision him standing behind me, tying a blindfold over my eyes, and could almost feel his warm breath on my neck making me shiver. The touch of his lips, and fingertips would bring heightened sensations, because each one would be a surprise if I were blindfolded and unable to see. I squeezed my thighs together to help stop the throbbing between my legs, but it didn’t work. I almost missed the turn to my cottage.
“Whoa, turn right here,” I screeched.
Josh slammed on the breaks of his Ford F-150 truck, and even though I had my seatbelt on, he swung his right arm across my chest, pushing me back against my seat as the force of the stop thrust me forward. I found his protectiveness old-fashioned and sexy. He took the turn onto Kunkle Point Road, and the dust swished up around his black truck.
“Darlin’, remind me not to take any road trips with you if you’re the one giving out the directions.” He chuckled. Then he slid his arm away from my chest, accidently brushing my nipples.
I gave a soft gasp of surprise and pleasure. “Sorry about that. I was daydreaming.”
“That must have been some daydream.”
Blood pumped through my veins at a quickened pace. There was no way I was telling him what I had been thinking about. Josh oozed a blatant sexuality that I was drawn to. It had me wanting to do things with him I’d only daydreamed about in my fantasies. I hoped that I wouldn’t have to wait long to find out how sensual and perhaps experimental he could be.
“So, I’ve rendered you speechless,” he quipped.
He was having too much control over my body. I needed to turn the tables on him. “No. I’m just busy thinking about all the things I’m planning to do with you today.”
He made a low rumble and quickly changed the subject. “Bella, it really is beautiful here.”
I agreed with him. The flat dirt road led to the top of a steep hill and ran all the way to a dead end, where there was the most breathtaking view of the lake and a few of the islands. The road was lined with giant pine trees on both sides. We’d passed a lovely stone cottage on the left, and then there would be a clearing that allowed us to see down to the lake in front of the cottage. It was breathtaking.
“A child couldn’t ask for a better place to spend their summers with their family,” he said.
“You are so right. My best memories of childhood all happened here. It’s my favorite place to come.” I looked out the window and daydreamed about sailing, fishing, water-skiing, and so much more.
“Whoa,” was all I got out before Josh slammed on the breaks again, protecting me with his arm across my chest. I could get used to his protectiveness. I giggled to myself and I chanced a glance his way, only to be greeted by a big, fat, smirk that seemed to say Yes, I almost missed our turn again. Get over it. Geesh.
But he just shook his head. “I assume we’ve reached our destination?”
“Yes, and I suggest you back down the driveway. As you can see, it’s at a twenty-five-degree angle, so it is much easier to get back up if you’re facing forward when you leave. When you reach the bottom, you’ll see that the drive divides into two. Pull into the left side. The other leads to Ms. Lovelace’s cottage.” I was grateful to see that her car was not in the driveway. She was a very nice neighbor, but way too friendly. She had an unwelcome habit of entering our home without knocking first, and I wanted nothing to impede what little time I had to spend with Josh.
As he parked the truck, his phone rang. I picked it up from his cup holder to hand it to him, and I saw a picture of a blonde, blue-eyed beauty. Angry heat rushed through my body. I was mad at myself, because I hadn’t asked him if he was in a serious relationship. No matter how much I was into this guy, I didn’t need the drama of a man who was seeing someone else. I listened.
“Hey, little darlin’. How are you?”
I couldn’t hear her response, which was driving me crazy.
He laughed. “Now you know better than that. I want nothing to do with my father, and he wants nothing to do with me. That’s just my mother talking.” He grunted. “Tell me, are you still driving me to the airport on Sunday and house-sitting for me while I’m away?”
Silence again, except for the thumping pulse in my head.
“That’s my girl. I knew I could count on you,” he said with a smile.
His girl. Was he kidding me? It was one thing to be seeing another woman, after all, I was seeing Marcus, but it was another to flaunt her right in front of me. My Italian blood was boiling.
Chapter Two
Joshua
It had been a godsend when, after college, Ava Kinkaid moved from her family’s ranch in Kentucky to an apartment twenty minutes from my house in the north. She was my only tie to Kentucky where we had grown up together, other than my monthly call to my mother.
Her family owned the horse ranch that butted up against my family’s land. She had followed me around the farm from the time she was five years old. If I was fishing, she tagged along. If I was doing chores, she’d be nearby singing songs. When she’d gotten old enough to ride, we’d exercised our family’s horses together and had ridden through the many trails on our two properties.
At first, I’d thought of her as a pest. After all, she was five years younger than me. But the older she’d gotten, the more things she’d been able to do on her own. And I had begun to welcome her company. When I left for college at eighteen, she was twelve years old, and she had shown up to send me off. I still remember the tears that had run down her cheeks as she’d waved goodbye. It had crushed my heart. The poor kid had lost her best friend and had been stuck with a father just as pigheaded and old-fashioned as mine, while I got to go off on a new adventure.
When she’d moved to Michigan, we picked up right where we had left off, as good friends. A few months back I’d mentioned that I was off to Essex for work, and she had offered to house-sit for me. She had enjoyed staying in my place rather than her apartment so much that I’d asked her if she wanted to do it again this time.
I parked my truck and grabbed the groceries and my duffle bag from the back seat. Bella got out of my truck and slammed the passenger door. I raised a brow in annoyance, After all, she could have shattered the window by slamming it so hard. She was so petite that I couldn’t see her over the top of the truck, so I rounded the truck to where she stood.
She huffed out air at the sight of me and folded her arms across her chest. Her olive skin had a flushed pink tint, and I would have sworn that she was pissed at me.
Had I missed something? Had she wanted me to open her door? She didn’t seem the type that would like that kind of thing on such a casual type of date. I would have opened the door for her if we’d gone out to a nice restaurant, of course. But not here on the dirt driveway, with broken clamshells spread round.
“What’s wrong? Are you mad at me for not opening your door? Or what?”
She plopped her fisted hands onto her hips and stared at me. She looked so adorable in that stance, with her eyes shooting fire, that I wanted to grab her and kiss those plump duck lips. But the next thing out of her mouth was.
“Stai scherzando?”
If memory served, she had just asked, “Are you kidding me?”
Geez, was Bella going to be a high maintenance girl? I didn’t need a drama queen for a girlfriend. I was at a point where I was looking for the love of my life. Someone I had a strong connection with that matched both my passion and my intellect. I had thought that could be Bella, but now I wasn’t so sure, since she’d gotten her little panties in a wad over something so small.
As I was about to say something I was sure I’d regret, she held her hand straight up and said, “Don’t talk to me.”
I wanted to take her over my knee to teach her a lesson. She was acting like a child. Then I remembered my mother’s favorite saying: Silence is sometimes the best answer.
Right then, I felt something hit me in the head and drip onto my forehead. I looked at Bella. Her eyes were huge, and her mouth had dropped open. I swooshed my hand across my forehead and looked at it. There was a blob of bird shit.
Bella burst out laughing.
Figuring there was more than one way to deal with her bad attitude, I pretended like I was going to wipe my hand on her. She screeched and hightailed it down the path to the cottage. She laughed all the way there.
I’d be damned, I roared along with her. Maybe this would work out. I followed her but kept enough distance between us that she could have fun thinking she had kept away from me.
I stopped on the top step leading down to the back door to look at the environment, while she dug in her purse for the keys. The beautiful two-story cottage was surrounded on three sides by giant pine trees that made me feel relaxed and happy inside.
She saw me admiring the landscape and said, “Many years ago my father had the lower branches cut from the trees at the front of our home, so we had a clear view of the lake. I’ll show you that in a bit.” She unlocked the back door, which took us right into the large family kitchen.
I put the groceries on the counter and went straight to the kitchen sink and washed up. Then I took a look around. There was a giant antique table with claw feet that had been painted light blue. Each of the ten chairs surrounding it were painted in different colors. It made my heart smile. Someone in this family had a colorful personality like my mother, who painted in her spare time.
Bella led me into the family room which was filled with an oversized comfy sofa and chairs that faced a giant stone fireplace.
“Holy smokes, that is one heck of a fireplace.”
“Thank you. My mother, brother, and I carried every one of those large stones up from the beach to my father, who built it as we delivered the rocks. It was hard work, but definitely worth the effort.”
Well, I’ll be damned, she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. A down-to-earth kind of woman. I loved knowing that about her. It made me feel warm inside. She reminded me of the women that worked around our horse ranch. I had always admired them. There was plenty of hard, physical work to be done on the farm, and the women there were all about pitching in to help.
“You surprise me at every turn.” I dropped my bag, and put my arm around her, and pulled her in for a sweet kiss. “Your father must be one hell of a man to have built this beauty. I’m impressed.”
“You think this is good; he also built the one next door. It used to belong to my aunt and uncle, but they sold it after their daughter died. She was only fourteen, and it kind of took the wind out of their sails. This was their daughter’s favorite place to come. They couldn’t bear coming here without her.
“Mrs. Lovelace lives there now. She’s a nice lady, but she comes into our cabin without knocking. It can be a little awkward, seeing how Dad likes to walk around in his boxers in the evening.”
“I feel for him. That’s what I usually wear when I’m home alone.”
I watched as her eyes undressed me. She quivered, and my muscles tightened in raw need. Her response to my words had me wanting to carry her to the couch to make love. But we had just walked in the door and I didn’t want her to think that was the reason I’d said yes to coming to her cottage. I wanted to get to know her better, because so far, I liked everything about her. She was damn smart. Between her kisses and her outbursts, I could tell she was full of passion. At the same time, she filled me with lust, and I wanted to tie her hands to the bedpost and make love to every inch of her body until she screamed that she couldn’t take anymore.
Before I could comment, she said, “Come on, I’ll show you where to put your bag. Then I want to show you the view from the front porch.”
She took me into the bedroom at the bottom of the stairs and I placed my bag on the bed. Then she took my hand and led me to the large enclosed porch that overlooked the lake, with trees intermittently spread out across the three-tiered lawn in such a way that they allowed a full view.
“Bella, your father is a genius. This view is magnificent.”
“My dad is brilliant, and he only had an eighth-grade education. He purchased the two lots that were located right at the beginning of the bay.”
“I’d like to meet your father someday. It sounds like he could give a few of my engineers a run for their money.” I winked at her.
“I bet he could.” She beamed. “We had the advantage of being able to take off from our dock at full speed for water-skiing. Every cottage before ours can only go ten miles per hour. They have to ride out past our homes before they could get up the speed to ski. It made things quiet here. Nothing more than gentle waves rocked our docks as a boat drove slowly by.” She grinned. “My uncle used to sit on his dock with rocks. If anyone went by going fast, he would yell and throw a stone at them. I was young, and remember being mortified, but now I think it’s funny.”
“I would have loved to have seen that.”
“I think what you’d like to see is the neighbor two doors down. She lies on her dock sunbathing topless.” She gave me a sly smile.
“I’d rather see you doing the same thing, but only if I’m sitting with you and we are alone.” I felt molten sexuality surge through me. I shared that feeling with her with a smoldering stare.
She took a strand of hair that had blown onto her cheek and twirled it around her finger. Her grin was playful and inviting.
I traced the delicate silkiness of her lower lip with my finger. She gave a whispered gasp which fed my hunger to taste her. I cupped her head and kissed her lips. She gave a breathy little moan, making me want more of her. I pressed harder and parted her lips with my tongue. She groaned into my mouth and leaned into the kiss. Electricity sparked through me as her breasts pressed against my chest and I felt her erect nipples. I yearned to roll the pebbled tips between my fingers. Our breaths mingled in soft pants when I pulled back and kissed her forehead.
She felt so good in my arms, but I needed to slow down. I was leaving for the UK again soon. I wanted us to spend time today getting to know each other better, and then I’d feel better about taking this burning passion I felt for her to the next level.
I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw were two brightly colored antique rockers. I gave her a squeeze, released her, and took that moment to calm my racing pulse. I looked up and down the porch that ran the length of her family’s summer home. There were another six large wooden rocking chairs each painted a different color, just like the antique kitchen chairs. I chuckled inside. “Tell me. Who has the artist’s soul in the family?”
“What do you mean?”
“After looking at the kitchen table and chairs, and now at these rockers, it’s clear someone in your family is definitely into art.”
She gave me a broad grin. “It’s my mother. You should have been here a year ago. She had the outside of our cottage painted pink. It was bright. She’s a positive, happy person, and it comes out in the crafts she makes, from furniture to quilts.”
“I like it. This is a place to let all your workweek stress turn into relaxation, and a happy place to feed the soul.”
She looked up at me with twinkling eyes.
“What?” I asked, wondering what I’d said to cause that twinkle.
“You sound like my mother. She’s always saying, ‘Not to worry. Be happy.’”
Her mother sounded more and more like my mother, whom I adored. The thing that broke my heart the most was that I no longer got to go home to visit her since my father and I’d had our falling out.
Bella looked at me with a raised brow. I must have shown the melancholy that came over me when I thought of not being able to go home to see Mom.
“I think I’d like your mother,” I said. “In my position in the auto industry, the stress levels at times are so elevated that I get headaches and have trouble falling asleep. Those things usually happen when some of my programs are being held up by technical complications at the supplier. Sometimes they give us a date for delivery and it ends up being a few weeks after that deadline, which forces us to find ways to make up that time so we don’t shut down the production line. Sometimes I have to take your mom’s advice and find a way not to worry and to be happy. Otherwise, I’d have an ulcer or worse.”
Bella
I wished I could be there for him. I’d help relieve some of that stress with home-cooked meals and conversation about his day, so he could get it off his chest, and later we could make love. Fat chance of that happening with him flying off overseas. “That sounds terrible. Why do you stay in the auto industry?”
“I’ve always thrived on hard work, which I guess I get from my father. The man pushes himself and the rest of his staff to be the best horse breeders in the state of Kentucky. And he is damn good at it.”
Hmm, his words sounded like he was proud of his father, but there was still an edge of coolness to his tone when he talked about the man. It sounded like they didn’t get along. I hoped that wasn’t the case. I loved that I was close to my parents and that I could talk with them about almost anything. I hoped for his sake that he had that special bond with his parents too.
“Cars and trucks always thrilled me,” he said. “I love everything about them. But I’ve recently decided that I’ve had it with overseas expat assignments. Luckily, I only have a few months left of the one I’m on now in Britain. I want to find the love of my life, settle down, and eventually start a family. And there is no way I can do that if I’m out of the country for a couple of years. That isn’t my idea of a happy relationship. I want to be there for my wife and children.”
My insides turned to mush hearing that he wanted a relationship like I had always wished I’d be lucky enough to have in my life. One like my parents had with each other. They were still madly in love after thirty-five years of marriage.
“I’d like to coach my kids’ baseball or softball team or be their 4-H or Scout leader. My father never had time for what he called that nonsense. He never made it to my games.”
I was beginning to understand the tension I heard when he mentioned his father. It seemed that his dad had been a distant parent. Poor Josh.
“I’ve seen too many guys in my position end up divorced. Some fooled around on their spouses. Or their spouse back home got lonely and cheated. That will not happen to me. I’ve had enough traveling for business. After this trip, I’m telling them I’m done with it.”
I felt like I was floating after that news. A happy marriage and being a good father were more important to him than the career that had been his focus for the past several years. Maybe I’d fit into his world after all, and perhaps we would fall in love.
“How sad for your colleagues. I’m so happy that you’re planning a different course for yourself.”
He gave me a brilliant smile that caused a swarm of butterflies to lift off in my stomach.
I picked up my beach bag. “Why don’t you get your suit on and we’ll sail to one of the small islands? I’ll get changed in the bathroom, while you change in the bedroom.”
He glanced towards the bedroom, looked back at me, and our eyes met. The heat in his gaze filled me with desire and warmed my body. It felt like a silent request for me to join him in the bedroom. I moaned inside.
I wanted that too, but there would be plenty of time for that later, and if I took him to one of the smaller islands, we might fool around there. I trembled at the possibility of making love in the sunshine. I wondered if he’d be up for that. Hah, up for that. That was a good one.
The wind was usually perfect for sailing this time of day. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity for some exhilarating gliding. I grabbed my beach bag and headed for the bathroom. I felt his eyes on me until I shut the bathroom door.
A few minutes later, I walked out into the family room in a yellow bikini that clipped between my breasts. The bottom was held together with a bow on each hip. Two little pulls and one little pop of the clip was all that kept me from being naked. I felt sexy in this suit, and I hoped that Josh would feel the same when he saw me.
The bedroom door was open, so I peeked in and saw he had put his clothes into his duffle bag, which was on top of the dresser. I walked out to the porch and looked down at the dock, and there was Josh setting up the sail. I was pleased that he was being so helpful without my asking. I could see that he already had the dagger in, and it looked like he knew what he was doing. But I’d need to make sure the dagger was put in the right direction.
I went to the kitchen and made us lunch. Then headed down to the lake with an oversized beach towel in one hand and a large Ziploc bag containing our lunch in the other.
When Josh heard the creak of the dock, he looked up from putting the pin into the rudder hole to lock it in place. “Holy smokes. Are you trying to kill me wearing that sweet little bikini? Darlin’, you look hot,” he said as he stepped out of the boat.
Tingles sparked across my body. I had gotten the reaction that I had hoped for, so I added extra sway to my step. Unfortunately, with my eyes on him, I hadn’t noticed the handle of the small paddle inching out from under his towel. I tripped on it and lost my balance. He reached out and put his hands on my hips just in time to stop me from falling into the water. Feeling his fingers over the bows holding my swimsuit on sent fire through me and I became wet. I prayed the wetness didn’t show when I sat down in the boat with him.
He pulled me into his arms. “Are you alright? You’re flushed. Did that give you a scare?” He bent down and kissed my shoulder, neck, and earlobe, and I trembled.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ve got you.” He released my hips, took hold of my butt cheeks and pressed me tight against his body. I felt his erection against my navel. He didn’t have a shirt on, and being pressed up against all that hard, sweaty heat almost made my knees collapse.
He cupped my chin and lifted it so I could gaze into his eyes. I swore I saw sparks of lust in them as he took my lips to his mouth in a deep sensual kiss that curled my toes.
Oh my God. Every time he kissed me it felt like heaven. I thought it would lessen each time, only it made the tingles in my body more intense. I wasn’t complaining; I was just surprised by the control he seemed to have over my body. I could get used to this powerful feeling of hunger that he effected in me.
He released me as I gasped for air.
“Ready to go?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
Yeah, right back up to the cottage to make love.
I cleared my throat. “Absolutely. We have to go while the wind is strong.” Porca miseria.
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