by Peggy Jaeger
For several minutes Kandy held on to Josh, soaking in the solid warmth he gave her.
After her breathing and mind calmed, and she could trust her emotions not to betray her again, she looked up at his face.
Every plane and angle of his jaw and cheekbones were silhouetted by the brilliance of the moon. The hard line of his nose as it tapered down into the full mouth she wanted against her own, the cut-from-stone chin she’d dreamed of sliding her tongue along, the drumming of his heart beneath her hands. She knew the second it kicked up its pace, deepened its rhythm: when her gaze drifted from his eyes down to his lips and stayed there. The beat of his pulse accelerated when her gaze dragged from one corner of his full mouth to the other. Without thought, her fingers dug into his shirt and fisted in the fabric.
His hands, which, moments before had given comfort, changed in an instant. His grip tightened and the fingers splayed across the small expanse of her back pushed her closer. Her mouth was level with his as she snaked her hands up and around the back of his neck and molded her torso to his, barely a whisper of space between them.
She didn’t think about how angry she was with him for forcing her to doubt and spy on her friends.
She didn’t think about the fact that someone close to her wasn’t what they seemed.
She didn’t think about her mother and sisters, probably watching them right now from the living-room window.
She didn’t think about anything at all, but being here, in this moment, with this man. Under the shimmer of the moon’s light. Under the stars.
Kandy didn’t think about a thing but how amazing Josh’s lips felt against her own when she leaned in and pressed against them as if it were the most natural and familiar thing in the world to do.
The kiss was slow and sweet at first. Just a brief touch. She could feel him trying to control his response, not let what she was doing become too much, allowing it only to be an extension of the comfort he’d given her moments before.
But Kandy didn’t want consoling. Not now and not from him.
Grabbing the back of his neck with one firm hand, she tugged him closer, leaving no confusion about her intent. When their lips fused together, she made certain he knew what she wanted; what she craved.
Him.
Hungrily, ravenously, and with more passion than she’d ever devoted to her cooking, Kandy feasted on his mouth. She raked her teeth over his swollen lips and parted them open with one brush of her tongue. When she got the effect she wanted, she almost cried out in joy.
His body yielded to hers, his grip tightening almost to the brink of being painful.
But it wasn’t. It was ecstasy.
Pure and simple.
His hands cupped her bottom, grinding her pelvis into his, as his mouth devoured hers, equally as famished and voracious.
Somehow the buttons of her blouse came undone and Josh’s lips and tongue dragged a wet string of desire from her shoulder down to her bra. Freeing one hand, he moved the soft material out of his way and gently kissed her smooth breast.
Shards of light burst from behind Kandy’s closed eyes when she felt his hot breath billow against her skin. Fisting his hair as an anchor, she arched, allowing him the freedom to explore. Her spine tingled all the way up her back when his tongue laved over her bra, right over her puckered nipple. Falling backward, she flattened both of them down to the sand, Josh on top. The feel of his body, forged in granite, warm, and full of want, was almost too much.
Through the fabric of his pants she reached for him and her insides turned to liquid when she found him pulsing, hot, hard, and huge beneath her grasp.
Josh ground out a feral moan against her breast and draped a hand between the triangle of her legs, pressing his fingers into the cotton shorts.
With slow, determined movements, he traced two fingers up and down her length, over her panties, back and forth in a rhythm that drove her mad. Opening her legs wide to give him free range, Kandy began stroking him in a similar manner.
When she heard him hiss against her neck, a sensation of power vaulted through her. Never thinking of the consequences, never imagining what would happen afterward, Kandy gave voice to the one thing she wanted more than anything else.
“Josh, please. Please. I want you so much.”
His lips crushed hers again, as Kandy’s long legs wound around his waist, crossing in back, imprisoning them both. His hands trailed and tracked the skin up and down her arms, at her waist, finally scooping and settling on her butt and forging her upward and into him.
Arching, Kandy turned her head to give him access to her throat and inhaled a huge whiff of sand.
The grains wound their way through her mouth and nose, lodging in the back of her throat, forcing her to gag and hack to expel them.
In a flash, Josh jumped up and pulled her with him.
“Sand?” he asked, wiping her back free of it.
She nodded, continuing to cough and spew it from her mouth.
After a few moments and one very un-ladylike spit, Kandy stopped.
“Okay?” Josh asked. Undisguised mirth danced close to the edge of his mouth.
“Don’t you dare laugh,” she chided, collapsing into another choking paroxysm, and pointed an accusatory finger at him.
“I’m not.” His lips spasmed.
“It’s not funny.” She swiped at leaking tears and tried hard to keep her own grin in check. “It’s not.”
“I didn’t say it was.”
Her hand balled and she punched him in the chest. He must have seen the movement because, quick as a lightning flash, he pulled back, the hit landing with no force.
They stared at each other for a heartbeat and then burst into peals of laughter. Kandy placed a hand across her mouth, resulting in another round of coughs from inhaling sand still on it. Gagging and laughing at the same time, she doubled over, bracing her hands against her sides.
“Stop. Please. It hurts too much,” she begged.
Josh took her arm and pulled her upright. Wiping away small traces of sand from her face, his fingers lingered on her chin as he stared down at her, his eyes dark and hooded in the moonlight.
“Are you okay now?” he asked after a moment.
Kandy knew he wasn’t referring to her hacking episode.
She nodded. “I’m sorry for running out like that. For shouting at you and acting like a two-year-old. I really don’t hate you, I’m sorry I said that. It just got all…too much.”
He pulled her back into his arms, settling her head against his shoulder. Rubbing her back, he said, “I’m sorry, too, Kandy. Sorry you have to go through this whole ordeal. Sorry I have to make you question and doubt everything and everyone around you.”
She nodded against his shoulder.
It was Josh who finally broke the spell.
His hands still encircling her upper arms, he said, “We’d better get back in. It’s late. I need to do a few things.”
Kandy kept her eyes cast down, knowing that if she looked at him, he would see the disappointment and confusion on her face.
If the mishap with the sand hadn’t occurred, she knew in her heart they would have made love right there on the beach, with the sea surging behind them and the stars shining above them.
He’d wanted her as much as she did him.
She crossed her arms over her chest, turned, and began walking back toward the deck, silent and thoughtful, Josh following behind, his hands folded into his pockets.
* * *
Before retiring for the night, Josh spent more than two hours on his laptop, tracking down information about Cort and Alyssa Mason. The information, though useful, didn’t send up any red flags.
Cort Mason pulled an excellent salary as Kandy’s director, well able to sustain the couple in their pricey lifestyle. Alyssa, although she appeared to be a mild shopaholic—evidenced by her monthly credit charges—made more than enough to support herself. They ha
d no crippling outstanding debts, nothing strange in their bank account balances.
So far, except for Daniel and Chandler, everyone around Kandy was financially solvent and having no apparent money problems. With Daniel’s gambling debts paid, that let him out of the picture as well.
“It’s got to be something personal, then,” Josh said aloud, leaning back on the bed, the laptop across his legs. “Something where I can’t see the gain outright.”
Before going to sleep, he jotted down a few questions he needed to ask Kandy and Stacy.
In the dark, the gentle, salty breeze from the ocean drifting into his room, he tried to sleep.
It wasn’t easy.
Every time he closed his eyes, graphic memories of what he’d done with Kandy played across his vision. Josh’s most intense memory was how she’d looked with Declan sitting in her lap as she bent to kiss and cuddle him.
Running a hand across the sensation burning in his chest, Josh realized how much he wanted that; how much he wanted to see Kandy with a child of her own—his child—dancing and bouncing in her lap.
Crazy. It was just crazy to be feeling like this after such a short amount of time. His mother had been right all those years ago about the thunderbolt.
The first time Josh’s lips had claimed Kandy’s, he’d felt it charge right through his body to his very core, joining him for life to this one woman.
He and Kandy were so alike when it came to their careers and life choices. He’d gone the job route, sacrificing love and relationships, for the higher need within him. The need to serve and protect. When those needs changed, he had as well, going private and utilizing his knowledge and skills in a different way.
She’d followed her dream all the way to fruition. Successful, celebrated, and happy in what she did, she’d fulfilled her goals. Along the way, she hadn’t forgotten about the most important part of her dream, and hadn’t let anything stand in her way of achieving it.
It was strange, almost providential, that they’d been brought together. Kandy at her peak careerwise, but relationship poor, and he settled comfortably into the next phase of his life, but also lacking in a personally fulfilling relationship.
Sleep, when it finally came, was because of mental and physical exhaustion. Josh woke the next morning to the sound of the tide pounding through his window.
Glancing at the clock, and thinking Kandy might want an early-morning run, he threw on an old sweatshirt and shorts, brushed his teeth, and was in the kitchen in less than five minutes.
He wasn’t surprised when he saw her there, taking something from the oven.
“What are you making?” he asked, deliberately keeping his voice low and soft.
She gasped and almost dropped the cake pan. “God. Don’t sneak up on a person like that. You scared me.”
“Sorry.”
“I’m not used to anyone being up at this hour out here,” she said, closing the oven and shutting it off. “They all tend to sleep in. I think it’s the sea air.”
“Is that Grandma’s blend?” he asked, pointing to the coffee urn.
She nodded while placing a cake tin on the counter. “Of course it is. Want a cup?”
“I can get it,” he said when he saw her move to the cabinet. “You don’t have to wait on me.”
Blushing, she turned back to the cake.
While Josh poured a cup of coffee, he asked again, “What are you making?”
“Mario asked for a cheesecake. I want to deliver it before we head back today.”
Josh remembered the chef’s request. “Sophie’s cheesecake, right?”
“The best you’ll ever have.”
“Does he offer it at the restaurant?”
“No. Mario would never sell this. It’s strictly for his own enjoyment. This has been his favorite cake since he was a kid sitting at Grandma’s table. She never gave the recipe to anyone.”
“Except you.”
“Well, yeah. Except me.” She wiped her hands on a towel and rested a hip against the counter. “I’ll make the topping later. Are you hungry?”
When those violet blue eyes met his, Josh’s one thought was, Yeah. I’d like to eat you whole. He refrained from saying it out loud, instead opting to ask her if she wanted to go for a run.
Kandy glanced at the clock. “That’s a good idea. I won’t get a workout tomorrow because I have to be at NBC Studios by four thirty. And this crew won’t be up for another two hours at least. Mom even later. They’ll all be up, though, to make eleven a.m. Mass. I can deliver the cake before we head back to the city.”
Josh drained his coffee. “How long do you need to get ready?”
“Two minutes. My running clothes are in the closet upstairs.”
Her color paled the moment she said it.
“I can get them for you.”
“That’s a sweet offer,” she said at last, a hint of wistfulness in her words. “Thank you, but I’ll be okay. Gemma stripped the bed last night and tossed everything into the laundry. I’ll be quick,” she added, making her way out of the kitchen.
Josh let her go, impressed once again by her determination and fortitude.
He went back to his room, tied on his sneakers, and checked his laptop to see if he’d gotten any e-mails from his partner, Rick. By the time he came back out to the foyer, she was waiting for him, hair pulled back into a high ponytail, a bright blue sweatshirt and track shorts in place. The same brand of expensive running shoes he’d seen her wear in the city were on her feet.
“How many pair of those do you have?” he asked, pointing to her feet.
Glancing down, she wiggled her toes and said, “Six. I catered the yearly stockholder’s meeting for the company and the CEO was so grateful she sent me a box filled with their most popular colors.”
“Nice perk.”
“They got a great meal out of it. Ready?”
They exited through the deck door, Josh careful to re-alarm the house from the outside.
“With everyone still asleep,” he told her, “I don’t want to take any chances.”
Kandy’s hard gaze drilled him. “It’s never far from your mind, is it?”
“Safety? No, it isn’t. You should know that by now.”
She turned away and stared off at the ocean. “Yeah, I do. Let’s go.”
Without another word, they jogged down to the water’s edge and headed east.
* * *
The day was starting crisp and clear, and, evidenced by the cloudless sky, it promised to turn into a hot one. The beach was empty save for a few other early morning runners, who nodded and greeted them as they ran by.
After thirty minutes, Kandy slowed and said, “Can we head back?”
“Whatever you want.”
She was a little irritated he was neither winded nor appeared to be sweating.
“You have to stay in shape, I guess, to do what you do,” she said as they turned and retraced their route.
“Yeah. I don’t do it only for the job, though. It makes me feel good when I’ve had a hard run or a good weight workout. I feel better overall.”
“Kind of like a natural high.”
“Yup. Don’t you enjoy it? You’re in the gym most every day.”
“I guess I feel the same. Working out gives me an edge. More of a mental focus. The hours at the studio can get long, especially if we’re behind schedule. Although lately, we haven’t been. In fact, this is the first show we’ve ever been in front of. The only scene left to film for the premiere episode is the one in the herb garden. Cort and I have been able to arrange things in a more manageable way for this season. Working out is just another thing I have to do, so I budget the time and adjust for it.”
Their feet pummeled the hardened sand at the water’s edge.
“Speaking of Cort, I have a few questions I need to ask you.”
Even though they were running, Kandy’s spine turned to steel.
; “About Cort?”
“Among other things. But I can start with him.”
She mentally braced and said, “Go ahead.”
“I was thinking last night about what your mother told us. It’s obvious you don’t think he’s cheating on his wife.”
“I don’t.”
“But you do admit things have changed around the studio lately?”
“Yes.”
“How? What’s different?”
She thought about it for a few seconds. “Usually Cort, the editing chief, and I, work down to the wire getting the show ready. For this episode, Cort suggested editing as we went along.”
“How come you didn’t work that way before?”
She shrugged. “It seemed better to begin editing when we were all done with principal production. We could splice the show together knowing the entirety beforehand.”
“Do you like it better this way?”
“I don’t really know. We’ll see what the final product looks like. Up to now it seems like everything is flowing well. You never really know until you see it all the way through, though, beginning to end.”
Josh stared off into the ocean. “You mentioned Cort’s been leaving earlier than he has in the past.”
“Yeah. He’s never fallen into the category of wanting out by a certain time. He never minded staying late if he and I had to.”
“But he hasn’t stayed late since you two changed the editing process?”
“No, he hasn’t. I guess it’s a good thing because he can spend more time with Alyssa.”
“Or whomever,” Josh said.
Kandy ran for a few moments without replying. Finally, she said, “Or whomever. But wanting to leave at a normal hour doesn’t mean he’s the one doing all these things to me.”
“No, it doesn’t. But it’s changed behavior. Something to be explored.”
They were silent again for a while, each running at a relaxed pace as the sun began its slow and steady climb toward the center of the cloudless blue sky.
“How well do you know Alyssa?” Josh asked.
“I don’t really know her. She hates coming to events. When she does show up, she’s usually not in the mood to talk to anyone unless they can get her in a commercial or a movie or something. Why all these questions about the Masons?”
