Unbelievable (21 page)

When again she lay over him, so exhausted and replete she could barely get her mind to function, much less her limbs, he said, “We need to talk, honey.”

True enough. They hadn’t had too many words between them last night. She pressed a kiss to his heart and lifted her head until she could see him. His expression was worried. And serious. Very serious.

She started to wonder if he’d already realized she was a fraud, when she was distracted by the loud hollow thumping of footsteps on the pier. Bob turned his head, his brows now knit in a frown. A voice broke the early-morning stillness and they both jumped.

“Nick!” Pounding on the wooden door accompanied the shouting. “Damn it, Nick, are you in there?”

Josie stared at Bob, dumbfounded. In a whisper, she asked, “Does Nick use your parents’ boat, too?”

With a wry grimace, he said, “All the time. But he never brings women here. Remember that, okay?” He lifted her aside. “Stay still, honey. And be real quiet. I’ll be right back.”

She was treated to the profile of his muscled backside and long thighs while he stepped into his jeans, zipping them, but not doing up the button. He looked sexy and virile and too appealing for a sane woman’s mind. When he turned back to her, his gaze drifted over the length of her body. He grabbed up the sheet and reluctantly covered her. More pounding on the door.

“I know you have to be in there, Nick!”

“It looks like our magical time is up, sweetheart.” His sigh was grievous, but he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Promise me you won’t move.”

“I promise.”

“Nick!”

He closed his eyes briefly before shouting back, “Hold your horses, will you?”

He was out of the cabin, the hatch shut firmly behind him, before Josie could form a second thought.

A
S SOON AS
N
ICK
stuck his head out the door, Bob pounced. “I’ve been hunting all over for you.” He looked harried and unkempt, very unlike Bob who prided himself on his immaculate appearance. Nick had a premonition of dread.

“Shh. Keep it down, all right?” He took Bob by the arm and led him down the pier toward the parking lot. He kept walking until he was certain he’d put enough space between Bob’s booming, irritated voice and the boat. He didn’t want Josie to overhear their conversation. A cool damp breeze off the river washed over his naked chest and he shuddered. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”

Bob stared at him, disbelieving for a moment. Then his expression cleared and he barked, “
What’s wrong?
What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong?’ I want to know what you did with Josie Jackson!”

It was a fact that Bob, even though he was a grown man, was much too naive to actually be given the full truth. Besides, what he’d done with Josie was no one’s business but his own. This time Nick didn’t mind lying in the least. “I haven’t done anything with her.”

Without seeming to hear, Bob paced away and back again. “Susan’s almost hysterical. She’s been phoning
her sister all night, and finally she called me this morning to see how our damn date went. She thought
I’d
done something with her! I didn’t know what to say.”

Though the morning sun glared into his eyes, Nick decided it was way too early to have to deal with this, especially since all he wanted to do was get back to Josie. The image of her waiting for him in bed made his muscles tighten in response. “What exactly did you tell her?”

Bob’s face turned bright red. The wind whipped at his light brown hair, making it stand on end, and he hastily tried to smooth it back into its precise style before stammering a reply. “—I told her business caused me to cancel at the last minute.”

“Damn it, Bob—”

“I couldn’t think of a better lie! And I couldn’t just come out and tell Susan she’s the one I’d rather be seeing, that I canceled because of her.”

“Why not?” When Bob had first suggested Nick break the news to Josie for him, and why, he hadn’t been overly receptive to the idea. He’d imagined Josie would be a lot like Susan, and he hadn’t wanted another confrontation with an irrational female. Susan had disliked him on the spot; he remembered being a little condescending to her, just as Josie had related, but he’d had provocation first. The woman was rigid, snobbish and demanding. Not at all like Josie.

Bob had hit it off with Susan right from the start. To Nick, it was obvious they were kindred spirits, the way they formed such an instant bond. So he’d tried not to be too judgmental, and he’d done his best not to cross her path again.

But his largesse was limited. He hadn’t wanted to do her any favors by meeting her wallflower sister.

Thank God he’d changed his mind.

“I’ve told you a dozen times, Bob, Susan will likely be flattered by your interest. You should give her the benefit of the doubt.”

Susan’s like or dislike of him no longer mattered to Nick, though her disparaging him to Josie had been tough to accept. Nevertheless, the desire to defend himself had been overshadowed by the need to keep Josie’s trust.

And after last night, he considered any insult he’d suffered more than worth the reward. He owed Susan, so maybe he’d give her Bob.

“Ha! I’ll be lucky if she ever speaks to me again. She was outraged that I would cancel on her sister.” Bob rubbed both hands over his face. “I told her Josie had mentioned spending some time alone, and suggested she maybe wasn’t up to talking right now. Susan decided Josie was depressed because I cancelled the date, and that made her even angrier.”

Nick’s grin lurked, but he hid it well. Poor Bob. “Josie wasn’t depressed.”

“Obviously not. But I never dreamed you’d bring her here and keep her all night.”

“What makes you think she’s here?”

Bob clutched his heart and staggered. “Oh, Lord, she is, isn’t she? If she’s not with you, then where would she be? Susan will never forgive me, I’ll never forgive myself, I—”

Nick grabbed Bob and shook him. “Will you calm down? Of course she’s here. And she’s fine.” More than
fine; Josie Jackson was feminine perfection personified. He thought of how she’d looked when she’d promised not to move, and he wanted to push Bob off the pier.

He hastily cleared his throat and fought for patience. “The thing now is to get Susan interested in you.”

Bob was already shaking his head, which again disrupted his hair. “She’s convinced I’m perfect for her little sister. She won’t stop until she pushes us together.”

“Trust me.” Nick kept his voice low and serious, determined to make a point Bob wouldn’t forget. “You and the little sister will
never
happen.”

Bob blinked at what had sounded vaguely like a threat. “Well, I
know
that.” He waved a hand toward the boat and added, “The fact that she’s here, after meeting you just last night, proves she’s isn’t right for me—”

He gasped as Nick stepped closer and loomed over him. “Careful, Bob. What you’re saying sounds damn close to an insult.”

“No, not at all.” He took a hasty step back, shaking his head and looking somewhat baffled. After a moment, he smoothed his hands over the vest of his three-piece suit and straightened his tie. “I only meant…well…” He looked defensive, and confused. “You’re acting awfully strange about this whole thing, Nick. Damn if you’re not.”

Nick made a sound of disgust. Behaving like a barbarian had never been his style, and he certainly didn’t go around intimidating other men. Especially not his friends.

And he usually didn’t feel this possessive of a woman. This was going to take a little getting used to.

He clapped Bob on the shoulder and steered him toward his car. “Forget it.” When they reached the edge of the gravel drive, Nick stopped. He was barefoot after
all, and in no hurry to shred his feet. Not when he had much more pressing issues to attend to. “Now my advice to you is this. Give Josie a little time to call her sister. I’ll let her use my cell phone. Then go see Susan. She’ll want someone to talk to, to confide in. She’s been worried all night, and you can play the understanding, sensitive male. Pamper her. Try to let her know how you feel. Ease her into the idea. But don’t tell her Josie was with me.”

Bob had been nodding his head in that serious, thoughtful way of his, right up until Nick presented him with his last edict. Then he looked appalled. “You want me to lie to her?”

“You’ve already lied to her.”

“When?”

Nick shook his head at Bob’s affronted expression. “You allowed her to believe you did her ad campaign when I’m the one who did it.”

“She wouldn’t have worked with us if she’d known you were doing it. She doesn’t like you much, Nick.”

Bob acted as though he were divulging some great secret. “You also lied to her when you told her why you didn’t meet with Josie. What’s one more lie?”

“But last night she was so upset, I just drew a blank. I didn’t mean to lie. Now it would be deliberate.”

Nick’s patience waned. “Do you want Susan or not?”

“She’s a fine woman,” Bob claimed with nauseating conviction. “Dedicated, intelligent, ambitious, with a good head for business.”

Nick made a face. “Yes, remarkable qualities that could seduce any man.” She sounded like any number of other women he knew. Driven and determined. “She’ll take over your life, you know.”

Frowning at Nick’s cynicism, Bob protested, “No, if I’m lucky, she’ll share my life. And that’s what I want.”

“It’s your life. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Damn it, Nick—”

“Okay, then.” Bob wasn’t an unattractive man, Nick thought, trying to see him through a woman’s eyes. He was built well enough, if not overly tall. He wasn’t prone to weight problems and he didn’t drink to excess or smoke. He still had all his hair, and at thirty-six, he might be overly solemn, but he wasn’t haggard. He was tidy and clean.

Susan would be lucky to have him. “I’ve got a deal for you.”

Eyeing him narrowly, Bob moved back to put some space between them. “What sort of deal?”

“Will you quit acting like I’m the devil incarnate?” They’d often been at odds with each other, both personally and professionally, due to the differences in their lifestyles and outlooks on things. But in business and out, they managed to balance each other, to deal amicably together. They were friends, despite their differences, or maybe because of them, and for the most part they trusted each other. “I want to help you.”

“How?”

“I can get Susan for you, if that’s what you want.” Nick didn’t quite understand the attraction, but he’d always lived by the rule To Each His Own. If Bob wanted Susan, then so be it. Maybe Bob could keep her so busy she wouldn’t be able to find the time to make insulting remarks about him to Josie.

“I can find out from Josie exactly what Susan likes and dislikes, what her fantasies are—”

“Susan wouldn’t have fantasies!”

The bright blue morning sky offered no assistance, no matter how long Nick stared upward. When he returned his gaze to Bob, he caught his anxious frown. He felt like a parent reciting the lesson of the birds and the bees. “All women have fantasies, Bob. Remember that. It’s a fact that’ll come in handy someday. And it’d be to your advantage to learn what Susan’s might be. I’ll help. Within a month, you’ll have her begging for your attention.” And he and Josie would have had the time together without interference.

There was no doubt of Bob’s interest. He couldn’t hide his hopeful expression as he shifted his feet and tugged at his tie. “Okay. What do I have to do?”

“Just keep quiet about Josie for the time being. You know Susan doesn’t exactly think of me as a sterling specimen of manhood. If she knows I’m interested in her sister, she’ll go ballistic. She’ll do whatever she can to interfere. I get the feeling Susan has a lot of influence on Josie.” Or at least, she had in the past. For twenty-five years Josie had remained a virgin—the last ten under Susan’s watchful eye. But last night, she had decided to change all that—with
him;
it still boggled his mind.

A sense of primitive male satisfaction swelled within him, along with something else, something gentler. He assumed it was some new strain of lust.

After glancing back at the boat, he decided he’d spent enough time with Bob. “Go home. Give Josie about an hour to contact Susan.” An hour wouldn’t be near long enough, but he’d have to make do. He could be inventive. And he had a feeling Josie would appreciate his creativity. “After that, go over to her house.”

“I can’t just drop in.”

“Trust me, okay?” He gave Bob a small nudge toward his car. “Tell her you were concerned about her. She’ll love it.”

Bob peered at his watch. “She’s probably at the flower shop now. I suppose I can drop in there.”

“Great idea.” Nick gave him another small push to keep him moving. “Let me know how it goes, okay? But later. Call me later.”

Bob left, mumbling under his breath and thinking out loud, an annoying habit he had, but one that Nick had no problem ignoring this morning. He heard Bob drive away, but still he stood there staring down the dock. Confession time had come, much as he might wish it otherwise. With mixed feelings he started toward the boat. Josie would understand; she had to. He hadn’t had near enough time with her yet.

His relationships, by choice, never lasted more than a few months, but he was already anticipating that time with her—and maybe a bit more. He wouldn’t let her cut that time short. But first he had to find a way to get through to Josie, to gain control of his farce and make her understand the necessity of his deception. As he neared the boat, he went over many possibilities in his mind.

Unfortunately, none of them sounded all that brilliant.

J
OSIE HEARD THE FOOTSTEPS
first and froze. Her heartbeat accelerated and she tried to finish fastening her garter, but her fingers didn’t seem to want to work. Stupid undergarment. Why had she chosen such a frivolous thing in the first place? At the time, she cer
tainly hadn’t suspected that anyone would ever know what she wore beneath her suggestive clothes. But it had felt so wickedly sinful to indulge herself anyway. And she’d felt sexy from the inside out. Maybe that had in part given her the courage to do as she pleased last night.

She would never regret it, but last night was over, and she wanted to be dressed when Bob returned. At first, she’d sat there waiting, just as he’d asked her to. But after a few moments she’d gotten self-conscious. She’d read about the awkward “morning after,” and though she’d never experienced one herself, she knew being dressed would put her in a less vulnerable position. And she needed every advantage if she was to make her grand confession this morning.

Then suddenly he was there, standing in the small companionway, his hands braced over his head on the frame, looking at her.

He was such a gorgeous man, and for long moments she simply stared. His jeans, still unbuttoned, rode low on his lean hips and his bare feet were casually braced apart, strong and sturdy. She could see the muscles in his thighs, the tightness of his abdomen.

His dark hair, mussed from sleep and now wind tossed, hung over one side of his forehead, stopping just above his slightly narrowed, intense dark eyes. He wasn’t muscle-bound, but toned, with an athletic build. Curly hair spread over his chest from nipple to nipple, not overly thick, but so enticing.

Not quite as enticing as the dark, glossy hair trailing from his navel southward, dipping into his jeans. She knew where that sexy trail of hair led, and how his penis
nested inside it. Josie had intimate knowledge of his body now, and she blushed, both with pleasure and uncertainty.

“You moved.”

The whispered words caused her to jump, and her gaze shot back to his face, not quite comprehending.

“You promised you’d stay put, naked in my bed.”

He sounded accusing and she managed a shaky smile. Though she wasn’t exactly what one would call
dressed,
with only her stockings, bra and panties on, she still felt obliged to apologize. “I’m sorry. You were gone so long….” Her voice trailed off as he gazed over her body. Feeling too exposed in only her underthings, she shifted nervously. “Bob?”