Deadly Double (13 page)

Ambrose swallowed the large lump lodged in his throat.

Michele’s smile widened. “You know I haven’t asked you how Tricia was doing lately.”

The mere mention of his wife’s name caused a trickle of fear to slither down his spine. For a fleeting moment, he thought about lashing out, but wondered how close to a weapon Michelle hovered. He knew perhaps more than anyone that Michelle was not a woman to cross, and she was most certainly always prepared for the unexpected.

“Of course, I’m on board,” he said, with a tight smile and an erratic pulse.

“Good.” She winked. “Then you’ll have no problem finding who helped Josie out of that hospital.” She uncrossed her legs and stood once again.

As she closed the gap between them, Ambrose hated to admit even to himself that he was more turned on than he had ever been in his life. This was how it was always like between them. A dangerous attraction.

#

Josie sighed and stretched out her body as far as she could, then snapped back into her tried-and-true fetal position beneath the many piles of blankets William had supplied. She drew a deep, cleansing breath and smiled lazily.

She felt good, damn good, in fact.

Slowly, she became aware of a light snoring. Was that her? Couldn’t be, she concluded, and opened her eyes.

The room’s popcorn ceiling was the first thing that came into focus before her gaze slide down teal-colored walls. Oil paintings of luminous lighthouses and cobblestone churches hung from the walls.

The snoring continued from her right side. She turned her head and was startled by the close proximity of Williams’s handsome, but sleeping face.

Belatedly, she realized that one of his arms was draped across her waist. He must have fallen asleep comforting her last night.

Josie smiled.

He was so adorable when he slept. The small wrinkles and character lines she’d noticed the previous night were now smoothed and relaxed. He deceptively looked as though he didn’t have a care in the world.

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered, then stretched out her hand to brush her finger lightly against the petals of his lips.

He stirred, but didn’t wake.

For a moment, Josie watched him. Lord knows, she had never thought she would have this opportunity again.

She had spent more than a decade regretting the day she’d met the man, and suddenly, here he was, playing the role of her knight in armor. It didn’t make sense.

Josie turned away and gently pried his arms from around her waist.

When she sat up, she expected to be woozy, but was pleasantly surprised that she felt fine. Glancing down at herself, she repositioned her robe and tightened the belt before she chanced standing up from the bed.

There was a slight tremor to her legs, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. A towel fell from her neck and face. She pushed it from her eyes and hooked it behind her ears.

Unsure whether she should risk walking on her own, Josie stood beside the bed a long time before she inched one foot forward, then the other. Successful, she permitted herself a small smile.

Before long she had made her way across the room to the door. She left William sleeping in bed while curiosity led her to explore the house.

The cold surprised her, and she wished she’d thought to put something on her bare feet as she moved around on the hardwood floors, Josie took her time checking out the other unoccupied rooms. Everything had a country feel to it. That was interesting. It wasn’t quite her taste, but it was interesting.

Back in the hall, she discovered a wall leading down the staircase covered with family pictures. Josie recognized the couple smiling back at her.

Sheila.
They were definitely not cousins. Her gaze drifted to Sheila’s husband, and
now
she knew why his eyes were so familiar.
Larry.
He was William’s older brother.

Studying the man’s face, she was struck by the brother’s differences. Larry’s features were broader, his dimpled cheeks pinchable, but where William was tall and muscular, Larry was shorter and stockier.

Overall, she was convinced that her William was the better-looking of the two.

Smiling, she grabbed hold of the banister and descended the stairs one step at a time. Once she reached the bottom, she noted that cold was nearly unbearable, and she wondered if the heat was working.

There were two other bedrooms and a full bath on the bottom floor, not to mention a large kitchen that paid homage to wooden roosters and ceramic cows. It was cute in a strange way.

The refrigerator was packed with food. She grabbed a bottle of water and took an apple that was nestled in a fruit bowl.

The living room revealed more pictures and an interesting set of plaid furniture.
Are these people related to Jed Clampett?

The room also displayed three floor-to-ceiling windows, which gave panoramic view of a forest of some kind. Where was she?

She moved closer to one of the windows and smiled at the deer congregating around the house.

She was at peace watching them and the occasional squirrel darting off a tree. As a result, she stood there a long time drinking water and eating her apple.

However, peace never lasts long, for fear has a way of embedding itself in one’s heart and thoughts. At that moment, Michelle terrified her. She didn’t know how Michelle got the better of her or even how she pulled off the impossible.

Josie glanced down at her scarred wrist and, in her mind’s eye an image of them covered in blood weakened her knees.

She quickly closed her eyes in remorse and turned away from the window. The chill in the house seemed to seep into her bones.

During her roaming, she had discovered a den equipped with blue-and-white plaid furniture, a fireplace, and an upright piano. Her heart immediately lightened at the sight of the polished instrument, and she crossed the room toward it as if hypnotized.

Before she sat down on the small bench, her eyes were drawn to the photograph placed on cute little dollies on top of the piano. These pictures weren’t of Sheila and Larry, but of a wedding William’s wedding.

Air rushed from her lungs as she lowered herself onto the bench. She took in every detail of the woman’s smile to the glittering diamond on her fingers and the bulge of her belly.

Unexpected tears seeped from her eyes as the pain from that distant heartbreak returned.

Tossing her apple away in a plastic wastebasket beneath an end table, she opened the piano’s wooden cover and lightly walked her fingers down the ivory keys. Pleasantly surprised to find it in tune, Josie straightened her posture and began to play.

Immediately, her mood lightened as her hands danced over the keys. Once upon a time, music was her passion. Her life.

Her hands slowed.

She couldn’t remember a time when music wasn’t a part of her. Her parents were supportive and did all they could by sending her to the best schools. It had always been a fair conclusion that she would be a famous musician.

One of her hands fumbled over a key as her eyes misted.

Before she had met William, she had everything figured out. She was happy and engaged to the perfect man or so she thought. Up until that point, she thought she knew what she wanted and knew how to get it.

But it was all a lie.

Josie stopped playing as her mind drifted back to her and William’s emotional good-bye…

“You love me!” William shouted, gripping her arms and pulling her close. Her bedroom walls vibrated with the force of his anger. “You know you do!”

Josie struggled against him. “I’m engaged, William. Last night was a mistake. It should’ve never happened.”

“How can you say that?”

He released her and she staggered backwards. When she glanced up into his eyes, her heart felt as if it was being ripped out of her chest. “I’m sorry, William. I never meant to hurt you, but…“

“Don’t say it.” He reached for her again. “You’re making a mistake.
We
belong together.”

“We’re from two different worlds. We want different things out of life,” she insisted. “Etienne and I are cut from the same cloth.”

William’s gaze drifted to the man in the photograph beside her bed, and a mask of utter-loathing covered his features. “You mean you’re from the social class.”

“Why are you refusing to
hear
what I’m saying?”

“Because it’s not the truth,” he snapped, and succeeded in drawing her back into his arms. “You can study music back in the States. There are just as many opportunities there, if not more.”

“Why do I have to give up
my
life?”

Doubt crept into his eyes. “You
do
love me,” he said, but it sounded more like a question. “Josie?”

She stepped back, while her gaze lowered to the hardwood floor. In an instant, William’s strong fingers directed her chin up. “I’ll leave if you can look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t love me.”

Her gaze met his sharp blue eyes, and a painful lump swelled in the center of her throat. As much as she wanted to give in to his man, she couldn’t completely ignore her promise to another.

“Josie,” he urged again.

“I’m sorry, William, but I don’t love you…”

“Good. I’m still a little shaky, but overall, I feel a lot better.” She met his steady gaze and gave him a wobbly smile. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

William sat beside her. “You know it’s been a long time since we’ve sang together.” He played a few bars of “Willow Weep for Me” “Remember that one?”

She closed her eyes and remembered their first night onstage. “To want a love that can’t be true.” Her voice trembled so badly that she lowered her head in shame.

His attentiveness deepened her embarrassment mainly because she knew that she was being silly for crying, but damn if she could stop herself.

“Josie?” he asked, giving her an affectionate squeeze. “I know that I’m not the best singer, but I’ve never caused anyone to start crying before.”

She laughed.

“There. That’ much better.” He kissed the top of her head.

Shocked, Josie lifted her head and met his gaze again. The air in the room thinned while her heart thudded against her chest. When a magnetic force pulled them together, a voice in her head warned her to resist, but it was no more than a whisper.

Her gaze fell to his lips when his warm breath brushed against her face. Butterflies she had long forgotten began their wild flutter seconds before William’s soft lips pressed against hers.

The familiar taste of him was the sweetest homecoming she could have ever imagined. While her mind filled with exploding fireworks, her resistance melted like wax. There was no harm in stealing this one moment in time, she convinced herself.

Josie pressed closer and opened her mouth to his probing tongue. Everything about him and this kiss felt right despite the fact that she knew it was wrong.

“Nothing.” William stood from the bench and the room chilled. “it’s not you. It’s me. I….Don’t worry. It won’t happen again,” he said.