“Thank you,” Joshua said politely when the server had finished.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked, emphasis on the anything.
“No, I have everything I need right here,” he said, his eyes on Olivia.
Yep, nothing was going to pass her lips right now; her stomach was too tied up in knots of desire. As the server walked off, strutting, her hips swaying just for Joshua, Olivia wondered what planet she had landed on where a man like Joshua would prefer a woman like her.
As she stared down at her food, she only hoped she had got this right and she wasn’t about to make an enormous fool of herself, as she did with Nate.
“Looks good,” he said, the meaning hanging in the air to add to her confusion. Did he mean her or the food?
“Yes. It does,” she answered neutrally.
He began to eat, but she couldn’t do more than push her food around her plate, which he noticed. “Try a bite.”
She cut a piece of the chicken and popped it into her mouth, the succulent meat setting her taste buds on fire, her mouth drooling as it melted on her tongue. “Wow.”
“Good, huh?” he asked. “I thought once we’ve eaten we might dance.”
“Dance!” she exclaimed, looking to where people had crowded onto the small dance floor to dance to the live band.
“Yes,” he said, his blue eyes flashing with humour.
She wanted to say no, but the thought of him holding her in his strong arms while they moved together around the dance floor was too much. “Sure,” she squeaked in reply.
“Great,” he said and set about demolishing his meal, and she did the same, if for no other reason than to get her mind off what it would feel like to have him gyrating against her.
“It’s hot in here,” she said, pouring herself some more water from the iced pitcher on the table.
“It sure is from where I’m sitting.” Did he know the effect he was having on her? Was this some kind of a joke, tease the maid of honour before the wedding–type thing?
She couldn’t think like that all her life. Joshua seemed keen, really keen, and although she had felt a fool with Nate, this was different. Wasn’t it?
She sure as hell hoped so, when he took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. At first they swayed together in time to the music, and then he began to move, in a hypnotic way that made her pulse beat so loud she thought she would drown out the band. For a big guy, he had rhythm, so lithe, so supple, and she wished he was so hers.
At first self-conscious, she knew if she wanted to stay out here in the view of others who would surely be watching him too, she had to match each of his gyrations, each twist of his hips and each sway of his shoulders. His eyes met hers and he smiled, and from there it was like she was trapped, her body following his, as if they were attached by some invisible source.
Joshua raised his arms over his head, leaning forward to tower over her, making her feel small and vulnerable and yet protected, like never before in her life. And it hurt her like a wound when the music came to an end and the contact between them was broken.
Her cheeks flamed red, as if she had revealed a part of herself to him, and to everyone else in the room. She wanted to grab her purse and run back to the hotel, but the band struck up a slow song, and he pulled her into his arms and held her close.
She didn’t resist, couldn’t resist, and instead gave into the pure animal magnetism and rested her head on his shoulder, listening to his heartbeat and feeling the length of his arousal against her thigh.
Instinct told her to run away, but her legs ignored instinct and stayed with him, their bodies melded together as they swayed as one, across the floor. She imagined a hundred pairs of eyes on her, wondering how she got to be so lucky to have a man like this hold her in his arms, and if she had plugged into her own consciousness she would have thought the same thing, but her mind was too busy trying to figure out if tonight should end with them in separate rooms or if he planned to make his own kind of music with her.
She stifled a nervous giggle and pressed her body even tighter against his. Joshua slipped his hand down her back, until it rested on the small of her back and he held her against him as if he never wanted her to leave him.
The music played, and she closed her eyes, inhaling his scent: musky, masculine, with a hint of something that made her imagine pristine snow, and a creature that moved almost unseen across the Arctic tundra. This man, so warm, so alive, reminded her of the polar bears he talked of, and she wished he was one, and that he would carry her back to his den and make love to her on a bed of fur, with a fire burning, illuminating his body in its dancing flames.
And then the music stopped and she found her legs wouldn’t work, she was too wrapped up in him, too wrapped up in a fantasy about a man she barely knew and who might walk out of her life in three days’ time.
Yet when he asked her, his voice warm and low, “Shall we go back to the hotel?” her answer was, of course, “Yes”.
Chapter Ten – Joshua
He was torn in two. Literally.
His bear wanted to take her back to the hotel and mate with her at all costs, but the other part of him, the part which didn’t just think about how they would love to claim their mate, didn’t want to rush things. Because rushing things might mean they blew it.
Olivia didn’t think the same as him and his bear; she thought in terms of romance and dating and marriage. Not, oh yeah, you’re my mate, deal done. That was bear talk.
And she had no idea about bears.
That was like a bucket of ice-cold water to his libido. He wasn’t joking when he told her his mom had raised him to be chivalrous and do the right thing, especially where women were concerned. So how could he make love to her, when she didn’t know about the other side of him? It would be just plain wrong, and telling her here, in a strange city, in a strange hotel, would be equally as wrong.
But she was so warm and her body so inviting.
“It’s chilly out,” she said as they left the bar. “It was so warm in there.”
“It certainly was,” he agreed.
“But it’s a beautiful night. Look at the stars,” she said, staring up at them.
He looked up. High above their heads the moon had risen, stirring his blood, and he was relieved it wasn’t a full moon or the urge to mate with her might have been too strong.
“You should see the stars where I live; there is little light pollution, so they are bright. Millions of them, and then there is the Aurora Borealis,” he said, his voice filled with awe as he remembered his home. “Blues and greens, swirling together, and reds and purples, better than a rainbow.”
“The northern lights, of course you would see them.” She looked down, her eyes resting on his face, and he knew if he asked her, she would let him kiss her. “I’d like for you to show me.”
He tucked his hand under her arm, not daring to put it actually around her, and began to walk them back to the hotel. “Yes. I promise. But let’s get the wedding out of the way first.”
“I agree,” she said, looking sideways at him, “I don’t want anything to spoil Nate and Chloe’s day.”
“Then we’re agreed,” he said.
“On what, exactly?” she asked, emphasising the word exactly. “Listen, I want to be honest with you, Joshua. I got burned over Nate. I was stupid and read more into it than there ever was. It was just lucky for me that he isn’t the kind of man to take advantage.”
“And you want to know if I am?” He looked at her, capturing her eyes with his. “If I am the kind of man who would take advantage.”
“Yes,” she said.
“Don’t you know?” he said, as they carried on walking.
“I think I know. I hope I know, but I would like to hear it from you.”
“OK,” he said, trying to put it into words. “I am very attracted to you, Olivia, more than you could ever know.” Much more. “But I don’t want us to get in the way of the wedding. There is so much
I have to tell you, so much I would like you to know about me before we go any further.”
“Like what? Do you snore?” she asked lightly, her teeth chattering but he didn’t think it was from the cold. However, it was a good reason to put his arm around her now and pull her close.
“Not snore. I might growl a little,” he said, and it was so tempting, his bear was pushing him to tell her everything. Not yet.
“That might be too much information right now,” she said.
They were nearly back at the hotel, the night was nearly over and tomorrow they were going to see Yvonne, and depending on how that went, the journey home might not be quite so easy. Joshua decided that there was one thing he needed to do, right now, under the stars.
Stopping, he turned her to him, and said, “I want you, Olivia. More than any woman I ever have and more than any woman I ever will again. I want to explain it all to you, but I can’t, not here, not now. But I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep unless I kiss you.”
She took a step back, unsure of his words, but then she placed her hand on his cheek, and stood on tiptoes, her lips pressing against his.
As if an alarm had gone off in his head, waking him up from hibernation, he kissed her back, his arms going around her, pulling her close. Her body pressed against his, and he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding along her lower lip as he tasted her, the garlic from her chicken laced with a sweetness that was all Olivia.
In his pants, his cock hardened and she felt it, pressing her body against him and rubbing herself up and down, almost imperceptibly.
He pulled back, gasping for air. “I think we should go in, or else I won’t be able to control myself.”
“Yes, you will, you’re a gentleman, remember,” she teased.
“Only when I want to be. There are times when the animal in me takes over,” and he saw her shiver in anticipation. “But I would never hurt you, Olivia. Never.”
“I know,” she said. Then she took a deep breath. “Cold shower and then bed.”
“Cold shower and then bed,” he repeated and then he took her hand and they went into the hotel, riding the elevator with their bodies entwined, but neither of them instigated another kiss, and they went to bed in separate rooms.
Much to the disgust of his bear.
Chapter Eleven – Olivia
Another sleepless night, all because of Joshua. Although the dreams and fantasies that inhabited her head through the dark hours certainly made it worth losing her rest over. They certainly were interesting, but not as satisfying as the real thing. How she wished he had taken her to bed with him last night…
No, that probably wasn’t true. It would just have complicated things, and today might be complicated enough. She had no idea if Yvonne would hand over the choker, and as she showered, she also had the sudden thought that she didn’t know how old the address was; maybe the house they looked at yesterday was an old address. This whole trip might have been a wild-goose chase.
Finishing her shower quickly, she dressed, putting on a pretty dress instead of her usual sweater and jeans, and after drying her hair and applying minimal makeup, she assessed her image in the mirror.
Not bad. Not that she was trying to attract Joshua, but after last night in the bar, she figured she needed to up her game a little; competition was fierce for the guy. Well, this dress hugged her figure in just the right places, namely her waist and her breasts, without making her look cheap. The colour also helped to emphasise her pale complexion, which looked even paler this morning. Fanned by her burnt copper hair, she looked almost white after her sleepless night. Maybe she would fit right in in White Bear Springs, where the sun hardly shone.
A familiar flutter in her stomach reminded her that she needed to go and see if he was awake and go down to breakfast nice and early so they could head over to Yvonne’s house. Going around the room and checking for the third time she had packed everything, she headed out of there, going to Joshua’s door and knocking quietly.
She heard him moving about and wondered if she had woken him, but when he pulled the door open, she saw he was fully dressed and packed. By the look of him, he had spent a night unable to sleep too. This made her happy. Blissfully happy.
“Ready for breakfast?” she asked brightly, knowing that whatever the day threw at them she would be glad she made this trip with him. If they had stayed in Bear Bluff, they might not have got to know each other, and might not have admitted their feelings for each other.
“Starving,” he said, going back to the bed and grabbing his pack.
“Why don’t we discuss strategy over coffee. We both look as if we need it,” she said as they rode the elevator down.
“Didn’t sleep well either?” he asked.
“Do I look like I slept?” she asked.
“I hadn’t noticed; I have been too busy admiring your figure in that dress.” He moved in close to her, his breath warm on her neck. “I’m tempted to set aside our agreement from last night and go back to my room right now.”
His hand slipped around her waist and he pulled her back against him. She tilted her head back, resting it on his shoulder, and his big strong hand encircled her throat, tilting her head back further, so that when he bowed his head their lips touched. Then his hand slid down and cupped her breasts, sending shockwaves through her body.
Only when the elevator stopped on the ground floor and the doors slid open did they part, not wanting to be caught in an embrace.
“Breakfast might be uncomfortable,” Joshua said.
Olivia looked down at the bulge in his pants, her cheeks flaming red when she saw how big he was. “I’m flattered.”
“Let’s eat,” he said, and they went to the dining room, finding a table nearest the window overlooking the garden at the back of the hotel.
“Are we both going to Yvonne’s?” Olivia asked.
“That’s what I thought, or do you want me to wait in the car, as a getaway driver?” he asked, sipping his coffee.
“It won’t be that bad,” Olivia said, taking a bite of her toast, which she had smothered in marmalade.
“It might be if you tread on her lawn,” he said, making her giggle.
“This is serious, you know.”
“I know, I’m going to blame it on lack of sleep,” he said, pouring some more coffee.
“I hope she isn’t unreasonable. And I also hope she doesn’t have a job. Maybe we should go over there earlier in case she leaves the house.”
“I’m ready as soon as I have eaten something. And you should have plenty to eat too. We are going to be back on the road as soon as we’ve spoken to Yvonne, with or without the choker.”
She liked that he encouraged her to eat. In fact, the more time she spent with him, she realised there was nothing about him that she didn’t like. He was straightforward and honest, just the kind of man she was looking for.
Or was he too good to be true? Was there some secret lurking under his hard-toned exterior?
***
With breakfast finished and their bags packed in the car, she drove to Yvonne’s house, parking just up the road from the immaculate home. Feeling nervous, she got out of the car, straightening her dress and then realising what a good idea it had been to bring Joshua—and she didn’t mean so he could drive.
Oh no, he could dazzle Yvonne with his golden good looks.
“Why don’t you do the talking?” Olivia said as they walked up the drive, being extra-careful not to step off the path, or touch anything for that matter. There was nothing out of place at all.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because everyone just stares at you, anyway, so you might put that to good use,” she said, allowing him to pass so he could knock on the door. “I have never felt invisible before. But when I’m with you, I am.”
“No, you’re not,” he said.
“Yes, I am. Now knock,” she said, shooing him forward.
Joshua raised the door knocker and let it fall. The sound
reverberated through the house and she hoped he hadn’t chipped the paintwork of the door.
They stood and waited, Olivia beginning to think they were out of luck and the journey had been for nothing. Joshua knocked again. Nothing.
Olivia felt tears pricking at her eyes. This was terrible. She had almost accepted that they might walk away with nothing, that Yvonne might not hand over the choker, but to not even get to ask, that was too much.
“I was so stupid,” she said, turning away from the house. “I should have got the phone number and called ahead.”
“Don’t do this, Olivia. If you had called, she would have found it easier to say no. This way was the best chance and you know it.” He came to stand beside her, his hands going to cup her face and tilt it up to his. “You did your best.”
“We could wait awhile,” she said hopefully.
“We could,” he said. “But it’s more important we are at the wedding, rather than a piece of jewellery.”
“Agreed,” she said and they walked back down the path, heading back to her car. But as they went, a woman passed them, the sight of her taking Olivia’s breath away. “Excuse me. Are you Yvonne?”
The woman stopped, looking at Olivia with suspicion. “And who wants to know?”
“I’m a friend of Chloe’s.”
“Chloe? I don’t know a Chloe,” Yvonne said.
“Your niece Chloe,” Olivia said, and then Yvonne knew whom she was referring to.
“We don’t speak, so if you’ll excuse me.” Yvonne walked away, heading up her neatly paved drive.
“Wait, I have something to ask you,” Olivia said.
“Whatever it is, if it involves that side of the family, I don’t want to know,” Yvonne said.
“Is that what your sister would want?” Olivia asked.
Yvonne turned around, her face flushing pink, and Olivia knew she had hit a nerve. “Don’t bring my sister into all this. It’s because of the way they treated her memory that I don’t speak to them.”
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