Passionate Bid (13 page)

“The right to haul your ass out of here and spank you when necessary.” Joanie let out a deep breath. For a moment, she thought he was talking about his other right. And she wasn”t thinking about mowing the lawn or the right to possess the television”s remote control.

“Doctor Ravenwood, you can”t just show up here and start a fight like that.”

“I am saving you from this hell of a place. And Joanie, if you call me Doctor Ravenwood one more time, I won”t be responsible for what I”d do to you.”

“Excuse me. I am not a seventeen-year-old. So don”t talk to me like I am still one, Doctor Ravenwood,” she responded sharply, putting stress on his name.

“Joanie, anyone who looks at you would know you”re a full grown woman.”

“Good. Now you know—you can”t scare me. Oh, no. I”m not scared of you, Manhattan boy.”

“Fine. Don”t. You still have to come home. Right now.”

“This place you call hell is where I work. Or used to be. Damn it. You cost me a job.”

“Find another one. Wear this. You”ll catch a cold dressed like that.” Julian wrapped the jacket around her and zipped it all the way up so that only Joanie”s head was showing.

“So easy for you to say. You have a degree. I don”t.” Since the jacket was too big, she was able to shove her arms inside its sleeves. The sleeves were too long, and the length was enough to cover her bare mid thighs.

Julian took her hand and led her out of the Pink Mermaid. Joanie looked at their laced fingers. Lord, did he just tell Bogart I am his wife?

They made it to the parking lot. Julian pushed a button on his remote to unlock his car. “Come on. Get in the car.” He wanted Joanie away from the building in case Bogart called for backup. Most likely, the bastard wouldn”t follow them, but he couldn”t be so sure about that. Damn, his side hurt like a son of a bitch.

As soon as both of them were inside the car, he locked the doors, turned on the ignition and revved his engine. He waited until Joanie buckled her seatbelt and then he drove off. The tires crunched the gravel, kicking it back as he sped up. The bar was out of sight when he pulled over the shoulder. Shutting the engine off, he released his breath he hadn”t realized he”d been holding.

Damn, his whole body shook. From anger, annoyance, and fear. Not for his safety but Joanie”s. The bastard hurt Joanie. When he saw Bogart”s fist had made contact on her cheek, rage surged out of his chest. He had wanted to kill him for hurting the wife he barely knew. He couldn”t believe how worried he had been.

Turning from his seat, pain shot from his side where Bogart”s bat made contact. He ignored the pain and unbuckled his and Joanie”s seatbelts. “Are you okay? Did you get hit anywhere else?”

“No. I”m fine.”

“Next time, do not try to block anyone or me during a fight. Running is the best thing you could do in a situation like that.”

“Bogart was going to hit you with a bat.” She looked at him with a scowl.

“I”m not just going to run and leave you.”

“I know.” And he felt the bat, too. Shoving Joanie aside lost him a second to dodge Bogart”s blow. Although, if she hadn”t alerted him, he would have broken ribs now. “Thanks for trying to save me. But like I said, next time—”

“Julian, you have a cut on your upper lip. Here.” She took out the handkerchief she kept inside her bra and dabbed his lip. “Does it hurt?” The handkerchief was warm and held her scent. Soap and that unique scent of a woman. Like a switch to a light bulb it turned him on. Julian closed his eyes.

Cool it, boy. You don’t want her.

“It hurts, doesn”t it?”

Julian opened his eyes. “A bit.” Even with the pale light coming from the moon, he could see the mark on her cheek. He touched the part that was beginning to show a sign of swelling. “You didn”t have to help me. You got hit. You”ll have a bruise here,”

“It”ll go away.”

“Did you really burn all the food in there when you were their cook?”

“Not all. Bogart exaggerated his story. But—”

“It wasn”t your fault.” I doubt it. Probably burned the food the way she did the hotdogs.

“Yes! When I dropped the meat on the hot pan it just caught on fire.” Most likely the oil was too hot. Joanie shouldn”t be left alone in the kitchen.

She was a horrible cook. He bet Bogart hired her without checking her qualifications. He just saw her pretty face and accepted her right away. “You put meat on the hot pan and fire started. Just like that.”

“Just like that.”

God, it was a good thing she didn”t burn the whole place down and herself.

Sam wouldn”t have a mother right now. “Why didn”t you just apply to bus tables to begin with?”

“Bogart”s girlfriend was still working there and he didn”t need another staff person at the time.”

“Did he fire her so he could give you the job?”

“No. She left. She and Bogart had a misunderstanding.” Most likely triggered by his wife, he thought. He knew the way Bogart looked at them. The man was jealous. He liked Joanie so he let her work for him.

Who wouldn”t? Joanie was a knockout mama. “Why not work at a different restaurant?”

“Pink Mermaid is the closest and the hours worked great for me. I can work and still have time to pick up Sam from daycare. Well, now I won”t have to leave her there.”

“No, you won”t.”

“Julian, you didn”t have to fight him for calling me names. Good thing you got only a little cut here. What if something horrible happened? If you got killed?

You won”t have a chance to get to know Sam if you”re dead.”

“You”re right.” Bizarre, but he knew he”d fight another Bogart to defend her.

The moon cast a glow on her face, giving her an ethereal look. He”d bet his life savings Bogart fought him because of jealousy. Now, what about him?

Machismo, he supposed. No man would like another man to call his wife a whore.

Damn, he hoped he wouldn”t have to fight another one because his wife transformed into a hottie.

“Thanks, anyway,” Joanie whispered.

“You”re welcome.”

“What were you doing in the bar?”

Why was he at the bar? He thought about trying the Mermaid”s burger, talk to Joanie about giving her the money ahead of time like his lawyer suggested. “I wanted to see you. You were gone a long time.” A lie. But he blamed Bogart”s blow on the side of his head for lying. People with scattered brain couldn”t think right, so they lied. Right?

“You couldn”t wait until I get home?”

“Glad I didn”t.”

She folded the handkerchief and used the clean part to wipe his forehead.

“You”ll have a fat lip.”

“And you”ll have a shiner.”

Joanie surprised him with her laugh. The sound was melodious, unpretentious, sexy. “Tomorrow we”ll be quite a pair.”

“How did you learn to dance like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you were alone in the bedroom with someone making love.”

“I was.”

“What?”

Joanie brought her hand up to stifle her giggles. The sound was infectious.

“Let me explain. Mind you, before this job, the extent of my dancing experience was ballet dancing and that was eons ago. So to stand in front of drunken, nasty, stinky customers, I had to do something. And that”s when I thought about the beach close to where Dad and I used to live.”

“Innis Arden.”

“Right. While dancing, I often imagine myself standing on the beach making love with the wind, nature, the sound of waves, while the sun watched.” What she said was so erotic that he thought about kissing her. And he did just that. He blamed his action on four things: her provocative dancing, her sexy and erotic description of making love with the wind, the punch on the side of his head, and the need to know that she was alright.

Cupping both sides of her head, he covered her mouth with his, the way he had imagined doing it last night and while she was dancing. Joanie tasted like gum. She must have chewed some like…what was her name…something melon.

Damn, he couldn”t think right. He shifted his position, leaning closer so he could kiss her better.

Joanie signed and ran her hand through his hair. She wasn”t kissing him back actually, just waiting for him to do the kissing.

“Joanie, you taste—”

Bright lights shone on them followed by a loud horn. Joanie suddenly opened her eyes then ducked. Her head connected with his chin.

“Ow! Damn, woman.”

“Oh, I”m sorry, sorry.”

Julian rubbed his chin. “What are you doing?”

“I didn”t want the driver to see you kissing me.”

“Ah.”

“And you shouldn”t have kissed me.”

“I know.”

“Then why?”

“The fuck I know. It was a mistake,” he snapped. Finding out she tasted so good and felt soft beneath his palms was definitely a mistake. It wouldn”t happen again. Better not or he”d be screwed. What the fuck am I doing? “Buckle up. Let”s go home.”

The moon was still bright, but the spell was gone. The moment and the kiss were brief, but Joanie was sure they would stay in her mind forever. She hadn”t known what to do when their lips made contact. She had even forgotten how to breathe. But one thing she was sure of—it was their first kiss as husband and wife.

And it had been a mistake just like their first night. She was his mistake.

Somehow, Julian”s admission stung.

She shouldn”t have let him. What was wrong with her? Shivers had run up her spine when their lips touched and she”d moaned like a… a slut. Good God, if the car”s headlight hadn”t disturb them, she would”ve opened up to him willingly…like last time.

The realization hit her. After the pain, humiliation, and endless nights of crying, she was still in love with Julian. Why? How could she love the man who openly showed his anger during the wedding and snarled his „I do?”

Watching the road ahead, she said, “Julian, I think it would be best if you stay somewhere else.”

“Why? Afraid I”ll try to kiss you again?”

“No. You wouldn”t do it again because like you said, it was a mistake. It”s just, I don”t want Sam to get used to having you around. That”s all.” I don’t want to get used to having you around.

“Tough luck. That”s what I want to happen. When is she coming home?”

“Oh! I forgot to tell you. She”s not. She”s staying overnight at Mark and Dana”s.” Crap. She was so rattled by his sudden visit she forgot to tell him that information, too. She”d better check her calendar.

“And you just remembered to tell me this?” Julian practically snarled the words.

Oh dear. She was saved from answering when they reached her driveway. As soon as the car stopped beside her Subaru, she unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out. Julian was hard on her heels. Fumbling with her house key, she managed to open the door after jiggling the doorknob.

The moment she stepped inside, she knew something changed. “Oh my god!

My house! What happened to my house?” She went directly to the kitchen where she was used to finding morning dishes still sitting on the table. “And what happened to my dirty dishes, the floor…” Joanie looked at Julian leaning casually against the doorjamb with his hands on his pockets and one ankle over the other.

God, he looked so handsome. Like a cowboy without his hat and guns. The urge to run and hug him the way she felt when she saw Hugh Jackman at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle made her whimper. “You did the cleaning while I was gone?”

He grinned like a little boy who caught a toad and had hid it in his pocket.

“Thought I”d help since I”ll be eating your food and be sleeping on your couch. The paintings aren”t missing, by the way. I put them in the vacant room upstairs. I was careful. I know good quality when I see it.”

“I don”t know what to say.”

“Thank you would be nice.”

“Thank you.”

“You”re welcome.” Julian walked toward the refrigerator, opened the freezer and grabbed a handful of ice. “Can I borrow your handkerchief? Your cheek must hurt when you grin like that.”

“Can”t stop. It”s like I hired the Maid Brigade to clean my house. Here.” She handed Julian the handkerchief and watched him wrap the ice with it.

“Press this on your cheek.”

“Thanks. What about you? You need ice for your cut.”

“I”m good. You kissed my owwie away.”

“Very funny.”

“No. It”s very arousing and cured all my pains.”

Joanie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Arousing. She didn”t think she were capable of eliciting a sexual response from him, especially after he treated her with contempt after their wedding. What changed? “The kiss was a mistake but a very arousing one?”

“Mistake or not, a kiss is still a kiss. By the way, thanks for the toothbrush.”

“Dora”s the only one I could find. This,” she swept her hand around the room, “is incredible. I forgot how good it felt to come home to a clean house. I”ve been so busy lately, cleaning is the last thing on my list.”

“Did you eat?”

“I had an apple and a handful of grapes. I don”t eat at the restaurant. Food”s as greasy as Bogart”s hair. How about you? Did you eat?”

“It was part of my plan when I went to the restaurant.”

“Oh, no. I forgot to tell you there are frozen T.V. dinners in the freezer. You must be hungry. We can microwave Sara Lee”s pot pie or I can make Tuna fish sandwiches.”

“Tuna fish is fine. Can we add coffee to our dinner?”

“Sure.” She reached to open her cupboard and felt the jacket hike up.

Turning around, she looked at Julian to see if he was looking. He was. She pulled the jacket down. Showing my ass while dancing was fine, but flashing it off stage is an entirely different matter.

“Could you reach the can?”

“Sure. Tuna”s here, right?

“Right. I”ll make coffee.”

“No!”

“Sheez! You don”t have to yell. I thought you wanted coffee?”

“I do. But I can make it. Why don”t you go upstairs and change—if you want.”

“Are you sure you want to make coffee? I can make it in a hurry then I”ll change.”

“Been using Starbucks espresso machine. I think I can handle your Krupps.”

“All right. Thanks. Be right back.”

Joanie left the kitchen in a hurry. She needed to change and pull her brain out of the clouds.