by Peggy Jaeger
Josh put a hand on her arm. “We need to talk about this.”
She knew every emotion she was going through was probably written in her eyes, but could do nothing to prevent it. Embarrassed beyond belief at how she’d thrown herself at him again; terrified of how her raging desire had overcome her, overcome them both.
Mixed with the humiliation was an equal part of absolute conviction that what had just happened was the most exciting, most erotic, and satisfying experience she’d ever had. Never in her life had she felt so totally wanted and so completely desired.
And she wanted more of it. A lot more.
But she couldn’t have it. Not here and certainly not now.
That thought alone was what finally prompted her to move again. With a shake of her head and, through a jagged breath, she said, “Not now. Please.”
She could tell from Josh’s continued grip he wasn’t finished. After a few moments, though, he dropped his hand.
The need to escape was profound, so she darted toward the door.
“We’re going to talk about this, Kandy,” he said to her back. “We have to. Sooner or later.”
Without turning to him, she nodded.
Chapter Sixteen
Josh’s gaze followed her while she bantered with her guests as they lined up around the pit, hungry for the lobsters and corn.
For the moment, the scene in the garage was forgotten.
For the moment.
But they were going to come back to it. They had to. Something had changed between them during those few amazing minutes. Josh remembered every vivid detail of the encounter, including the unabashedly free way Kandy had come apart in his hands. When he’d kissed her flawless, silky skin, he’d tasted sunshine, while the exotic fragrance of the small dab of perfume at her neck reminded him of piquant hothouse flowers.
He’d absorbed her scream not wanting anyone to hear and discover their intimate moment together, but in truth, he’d been desperate to prevent his own frenzied groan from being heard.
If they’d been alone, and not surrounded by a crowd of guests and relations, Josh would have allowed her free access to scream her head off, and he’d have followed her lead. There, right there against the wooden garage wall, Josh would have made sure both had the release they so desperately craved and would have pounded into her until they were both satiated.
To clear his head and remind himself of the real reason he was with her, he surveyed the guests.
Hannah sat in the lap of a man at least half her age, her arm woven around his neck, surrounded by Eleanor and her friends. No one appeared to think it odd the mother of the birthday girl was holding court with a crowd a quarter-century younger.
Kandy’s mother was, without doubt, beautiful. All her daughters resembled her in some physical way and, except for the height difference in Ellie, any stranger would have known who they belonged to in an instant of meeting Hannah.
He’d sensed her flagrant flirtatiousness was harmless the moment they’d met. The sudden widening of her blue-violet eyes when he let her and Abby into the beach house while Kandy got some much-needed sleep, and the slow raking she’d covered him with, combined with the natural, playful light he saw in her smile, made him realize her daughter’s descriptions of her were accurate, if somewhat tainted. She was a woman who’d come into fruition like a rose waiting for the sunshine to bring it to bloom.
And she was as harmless as a puppy.
Josh’s gaze swept to the far side of the deck, where Cort Mason and his wife were standing with Stacy. The director was listening with what Josh assumed was only half an ear because he seemed more focused on his wife than on Kandy’s cousin, often turning his gaze to Alyssa. She ignored him, studying the crowd instead. Mason had one hand behind her, resting against the deck rail, almost in contact with her back.
Almost.
Alyssa Mason was a complete surprise. When he’d heard the shrewish tête-à-tête between them, Josh pictured an older woman, past the first phase of life, overweight and graying.
The shock of his inaccurate presumption floored him. Alyssa Mason was no fiftyish, bland, and boring housewife. British, if he could place her accent, she couldn’t be older than twenty-three or -four, was at least six feet tall, and had the blondest, longest hair he’d ever seen, in addition to being cadaver thin. Her hard collarbones stood out from the A-line linen sheath she wore, and there was nothing but skin covering her exposed upper arms. No muscle tone, no underpad of fat. At present, she was taking a huge drag of a long cigarette, and appeared bored with her surroundings.
Stacy broke away from Cort and headed back into the house. Josh stole a quick glance at Kandy, saw she was laughing with one of her brothers-in-law as she pulled a lobster from the pot, and decided to follow Stacy.
He found her in the foyer, hunting through her purse.
“You okay?” She had a bottle of aspirin in her hands.
“Killer headache. Allergy time, you know? Being out here with this beautiful fresh ocean air is almost toxic to me.” She tossed the bottle back into her bag. “I’m much better in the city, where there’s lots of pollution to block the allergens.”
Josh grinned. “Do you have a few minutes?”
She nodded.
“Let’s go for a quick walk.”
When they started out along the driveway, Stacy asked, “What’s up?”
“Couple questions about the Masons.”
Surprise jumped in her eyes.
“There seems to be some tension between then,” he began. “How long have they been together?”
Stacy sighed. “About a year or so. They met when Cort was directing a music video for Caged when we were on hiatus. Alyssa met the lead singer at one of her shows and they started dating.”
“Shows?”
She nodded. “Alyssa’s a model.”
“Her face isn’t familiar.”
“According to Cort, she doesn’t like print work because it’s boring, so you won’t see her on any covers. Anyway, they met on the shoot and Alyssa dumped Tavish DeCloud, the lead singer, immediately for Cort.”
“And he’s, what? Twenty-five, thirty years older than she is?”
Stacy thought for a moment. “Closer to thirty, I think.”
“What’s the attraction? I don’t mean to sound like a jerk, but they don’t exactly look like Barbie and Ken.”
“Understatement.” She crossed her arms in front of her as they kept walking. “I know Kandy’s tried to talk to him about her, but he always clams up. From what I’ve gathered, Alyssa wants to be an actress. It’s why she agreed to the original video. Saw it as a way to make connections in the industry.”
“Like Cort.”
“Yeah. My take is she thinks Cort should be helping her. Full-time. Devoting himself to making her a star. Obviously, he can’t. His contract with the show goes another two years.”
“Alyssa can’t be happy about it.”
“I don’t think she’s happy about life in general. In fact, I’m shocked she’s even here today. She usually avoids stuff like this.”
“Why?”
Stacy shook her head and said, “I wish I knew. I’ve tried to talk to her, but she always ignores me. I used to think it was just me she disliked, but it’s not.”
“She’s like that with everyone?”
“Everyone except Cort. She hangs on to him like a tick.”
Josh slipped his hands into his pockets.
“During working hours she calls him almost hourly, never caring if he’s shooting or involved with something. It’s almost like she’s checking up on him, but really, that’s ridiculous.”
“Why?”
“Where else would he be but at the studio? You’ve been there a few days now; you’ve seen how everything works. No room for error, no room for breaks, especially when we’re doing an outside shoot. It can get crazy.”
Josh suggested they turn back, not wanti
ng to leave Kandy for too long.
They were almost at the house when Stacy asked, “Have you found out anything useful yet?”
“A few things.”
When he didn’t elaborate, she said, “Not commenting, huh?”
He considered how much to tell her. “Have you spoken to your brother Daniel recently?”
Stacy’s expression softened. “He called last night. Spoke to Mom and Dad, too. He told us everything.” Her smile saddened just a little. “It’s hard to think we missed what was happening with him. I feel a little responsible and a whole lot guilty.”
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re the only one,” he said. He debated with himself about whether to tell her Kandy’s involvement.
Before he could come to a decision, Stacy said, “He told us what Kandy’s doing for him and Betsy. Hiring him back, looking for infertility docs. She can’t know how much he—we all—appreciate it. She could just have easily turned her back on him, let him figure out how to muddle through on his own.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you? I mean, you’re the one who told me she values family above all else.”
She looked over at him and nodded. “You’re right. If Kandy had known what they were going through, Daniel never would have felt the need to gamble in the first place. She would have paid for everything, done all the research. Heck, she would have gone to the doctor visits and implantations with them.”
They walked for a few moments, silent.
“There’s no one I know who loves her family more,” Stacy said. “She’d do anything for them.”
“I’ve seen the proof with my own eyes.”
Stacy stopped as they approached the house. Turning to him, she asked, “You’re going to find out who’s doing all these things to her, right?”
“I promised I would. I’m getting close, Stacy. That’s about all I can tell you. But soon you’ll have an answer as to who and why.”
When she stared up at him, just as he had the first day in her office, Josh felt as if he were being silently appraised.
Without another word, she walked into the house.
Josh took the circuitous route around the garage instead of the shortcut through it. The memory of what recently transpired there was still so fresh in his mind he wanted to avoid the area.
Kandy was sitting in the sand near the fire pit, a small black-haired boy glued to her lap. A few of her sisters were seated around them, plates in their laps laden with food. Gemma’s camera hung from a strap around her neck and she lifted it to snap away at the pair.
He took his time moving to their little group, observing Kandy as she cuddled her nephew. He could have been her own child, their coloring was almost identical. Jet-black hair, pale skin, and magnificent large, light blue eyes. Josh marveled at the twin dimples that played at the corners of the boy’s mouth, just as Kandy’s did, and the way his nose turned up at the tip when he smiled, a twin to his aunt’s, as well.
Declan said something to her and threw his arms around her neck, planting a ferocious kiss on her cheek. Josh’s heart turned over and filled when she fell backward to the sand, planting kiss after wet kiss on the boy’s face, making him squeal with glee.
Since she was wrapped by the security of her family, Josh decided to approach the Masons, his discussion with Stacy leaving him with more questions than answers.
He found the couple in the same spot as earlier, Cort now speaking with Mark Begman as Alyssa stared off at the ocean.
Josh surveyed her before moving toward the couple.
Alyssa Mason had one of the most beautiful faces he’d ever laid eyes on. Her skin, even from this distance, was flawless. She’d encircled her eyes dramatically with kohl, making the outer edge tilt seductively upwards.
She held a new cigarette in her hand and was puffing with a great deal of concentration and vigor. Even though she took a stance of boredom, every few seconds she’d lean in closer to Cort, brush an arm or a hand across his upper body, forcing his attention to her.
Why so lovely a woman needed constant affirmation of her position in her husband’s world puzzled Josh.
“Keane,” Cort said as he approached the trio.
“Cort. Mark,” Josh said, nodding at the men.
“Meet my wife,” the director said.
Josh put out his hand and said, “Josh Keane.”
“Alyssa,” she said, raking her eyes across his face, ignoring the proffered hand. “How do you know my husband?”
“We met at the studio, sweetheart,” Cort said, swiping a hand at his brow.
It was then Josh noticed the man was sweating despite the cool ocean breeze.
Alyssa’s eyes brightened and her body came to attention. “Are you in the business?” she asked, her gaze penetrating right through him.
“The business?”
“Production. Direction. Development,” she clarified, swiping the cigarette in the air.
“Oh, I’m not in the entertainment field,” Josh replied, watching her attention immediately wane.
“Oh.” She took a puff and stared off again, Josh now forgotten.
“Josh is a friend of Kandy’s,” Cort said.
Alyssa managed a bland uplifting of her lips. “How lovely.” With a quick, last drag of her cigarette, she dropped it to the deck and smashed it with the toe of her shoe. “Darling, can I drag you away for a sec? You don’t mind,” she added to Mark and Josh with a fake smile plastered across her face.
Cort was pulled to privacy down the deck stairs and onto the beach.
“It’s a shame all that beauty is wasted in all that bitch,” Mark said, hands in his pockets, staring after the couple.
Josh nodded. “She’s not the friendliest person I’ve ever met.”
“You ain’t lying. I don’t know what Cort sees in her. I mean, despite the obvious. Why he puts up with all her crap.”
“What do you mean?”
Mark propped back against the rail and faced him. “They’ve been married like, what? Just a little over a year? You’d think by now she’d be used to his schedule. But no. She calls him ten, fifteen times a day wanting to know where is he, what he’s doing. She even managed to get my cell phone number. Calls me when she can’t get through to him. I mean, come on. The guy’s the director of the hottest food show on cable television. Where does she think he is?”
“Good question,” Josh said.
“She’s just crazy, if you ask me. I mean, look at her. She’s drop-dead gorgeous. Could be on the cover of any magazine in the world, but she doesn’t like print work.”
“I’d heard that.”
“Dumb, if you ask me. A face like that, she could be making millions of dollars in endorsements. Could have any guy she wanted just by wagging a finger his way. Cort adores her, but she’s the most insecure woman I’ve ever met. Complains all the time about him being away. What does she think he’s doing, for cripes’ sake? The guy’s a workaholic. Just like Kandy.” He stopped, his mouth bending into a grin. “Now there’s my kind of woman. Give me a Laine girl any day. They’re all confident, self-assured, and have sex appeal to the max.”
Josh agreed with the apt description. Glancing off at the Masons, Josh saw Alyssa stabbing a finger into Cort’s chest, their discussion heated and one-sided. Hers.
“Look at her,” Mark said, disgust heating his voice. “She’s not a happy camper. I’ll bet you twenty bucks they leave in the next five minutes.”
“I won’t take that bet,” Josh said, “because I think you’re right.”
Alyssa turned from her husband and stomped off toward the front of the house. Cort, head and shoulders sagging, trudged his way across the sand to Kandy.
From his facial and body expressions, Josh realized Cort was making the couple’s excuses. Kandy, still holding Declan in her lap, nodded.
A moment later, the director left without a word to anyone else at the party.
<
br /> “Predictable,” Mark said, shaking his head. “Glad I don’t have to drive back to the city with her. Had any lobster yet?” he asked, dismissing the Masons.
“No, and I was thinking I should, since I lugged them all out here.”
“Man, it’s the best. Kandy does something to the water, makes the meat taste like ambrosia. Go get yourself one before they’re all gone.”
Josh made his way over to the food after being stopped first by Callie and then by the Peters, senior.
Both parties asked if he was making progress with finding out who Kandy’s tormentor was.
To both of them, he gave the same line he’d given Stacy earlier.
By the time he made it over to the pit, Kandy had disappeared into the house. In the next moment, the lobster forgotten, he heard the shouts and chorus to “Happy Birthday.”
Kandy was surrounded by her sisters on the deck, the huge four tiered cake atop a table, loaded with twenty-two lit candles. Eleanor, beaming from ear to ear, stood next to her oldest sister, both with their arms about each other’s waists.
Kandy sang, pleasure on her face and smile, but he knew fatigue and worry were hidden in her eyes and the back of her mind.
The clapping and cheering brought him back to the birthday girl. Ellie gave her sister a full-body hug and thanked her for all the work and effort she’d put into the party, the food, and especially the cake.
“Since she made it,” Ellie announced, “Kandy should be the one to cut it. That way we’ll all get perfect pieces.”
Kandy blushed at the compliment and began to slice the cake, Ellie getting the first piece. After a few minutes, he made his way through the line to her side.
“Want some?” she asked, smiling up at him. “You did help make it.”
Josh nodded, and leaned in closer. Lowering his voice for her ears alone, he asked, “How you holding up?”
Her smile wavered just a tad, but enough for him to glimpse the weariness camouflaged beneath it. “Okay. I’ve been busy. Anything happening I should know about?”
