Temporary Intrigue (31 page)

“It must have been an awful time,” she said, trying to imagine Shane in the same situation.

Josh surprised her by grinning suddenly.

“To be honest, I felt like a man released from the stocks,” he said.

Something was bothering her.

“You said you were younger than Shane when you were married, but you were divorced only two years ago?”

“Are you saying I look my age?” He bit one of her fingers gently. “After that experience I couldn’t see I’d ever want to get married again. Everything was finalised amicably, as I said, so it wasn’t an issue for me until Maddison contacted me saying she needed a divorce because she wanted to remarry. I was glad to oblige. She’s now the wife of a rising young executive in her father’s organisation.”

“And you’re still in touch?” Subtle as a sledgehammer, but how could she forget that moment in the office when she had first become aware of Maddison’s existence?

Josh’s arm tightened again.

“She called because one of her friends is moving to Sydney and wanted help finding a job. Opportunistic is the word for Maddison. She has no hesitation in using people whether they’re past or present factors in her life.” Anticipating the next question, he continued. “I called back and said I couldn’t help her because I was leaving Sydney.”

“Leaving?” It couldn’t be true. That terrible sense of loss was overwhelming her again, made worse by the sudden clouding of his face as he looked down at her.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d think of the idea,” he said, “but after being here for a few weeks I’ve found I can be flexible. I’m moving my base to Newcastle. Hey–” he held her a little away from him, studying her with concern as her face crumpled. “I just wanted to be closer to you if you were ever ready to see me again. Don’t worry, it won’t interfere with your gallery plans. And I won’t bother you if you don’t want me to.”

“Oh, please feel free,” she whispered. She pressed her lips against his neck while her fingers traced along the line of his jaw, then looked up.

“But are you sure working here won’t be a problem for you?”

“No way. There’s no reason I can’t operate from here. I like the place. And one or two people I’ve got to know are what you might call passable.” He smiled at her pretence at indignation and nipped her finger playfully again. “Of course, you do understand the harbour view is the main attraction?”

“Of course. And the prospect of working with Gail must be a big drawcard.”

“That would be one too many people running the department. I’ve arranged for Gail to transfer to our hotel in Adelaide. If Malcolm doesn’t do the right thing by Shane, or if he so much as looks at you sideways, I’ll organise something similar for him.”

“Is Gail happy about moving?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” His voice became muffled as his lips followed some path of their own across her neck, lingering when they reached her ear lobe.

Basking in his attention, Dimity felt her spirits rise even more at the thought of visiting him in a Gail-less office.

“I’m glad she won’t see my paintings there – if they do take them for the board room,” she said, trying almost dreamily to catch his lips with hers.

“You still haven’t told me how that happened.”

But the thought of Gail had reminded Dimity of something else.

“Why did Gail say it was your wife on the phone? Would Maddison have introduced herself that way?”

“No. I asked her when I called – said there had been some confusion. Apparently she said, ‘Tell him it’s Maddison.’ Gail quizzed her, pretending she needed more details, and Maddison said something like, ‘He should know who I am – I was his wife, darling,’ and ‘darling’ took it from there. With great glee, obviously.”

“Fiendish glee. Like that dig about you working late to cover for me.”

“The only time I had to do that was when you nuked our meeting notes.”

He returned her grin, then his expression darkened.

“Hearing you refer to Maddison as my wife was like an obscenity. That’s why I nearly lost it. There’s only one person I think of that way.”

Not sure if she had really heard the words she wanted to hear more than any others, Dimity stared at him.

“I love you, Dim,” he said quietly. “I want to spend my life with you.”

While one strong hand pressed her against him, the other moved up to cradle the back of her head, his fingers stroking rhythmically through her hair as he returned her gaze.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but I fell in love with you the minute I looked into those raccoon eyes,” he said.

Dimity was still watching him. He lowered his head and kissed one of her eyes shut, then the other. His lips moved along her jaw line, explored her neck and throat with a feather-light touch, traced a path to the corner of her mouth and lingered there tormentingly until she turned and let him capture her lips in a kiss that was immediately searching and insistent.

“You haven’t answered me,” he whispered. “You must see the two of us are right for each other. It’s too strong to be one-way. Can’t you feel it flowing between us?”

She could indeed. Before the tide of emotion could sweep her completely away, she caught his face in both hands, studying him with sudden anxiety.

“You know what a muddler I can be. I don’t want to mess up your life.”

He kissed her into silence.

“Someone should have taught me your type of muddling long ago,” he said into her hair when he finally let her surface. “I wasn’t living until I met you. You enrich me. I’d like to think you might find me even half as interesting as I find you. The only way you could mess up my life is by being out of it.”

She couldn’t have put it better herself.

“Was that a yes, by the way?” he asked, between kisses. “Or at least a maybe?”

“At least,” she breathed, listening to Bert barking at someone going past the house. “But–”

“What?”

His expression was suddenly concerned.

“You mentioned the two of us. You’d better make that the three of us.”

“Shane isn’t happy on his own?” His face cleared. “I don’t care if the whole street joins us, as long as you’re there.”

He hadn’t hesitated. If it had been possible, she would have loved him even more.

She saw him smile at her chortle.

“I meant Bert. I seem to have inherited him. The hotel probably wouldn’t fancy him as a guest and he seems happy here. You might have to rethink that harbour view.”

“Wherever.”

He kissed her again and she moaned softly then gasped as he stood, cradling her in his arms. His eloquent eyes, inches away, studied her intently and lovingly.

“There must be somewhere more comfortable we can talk.” He walked down the hallway, carrying her without any effort. At the door to her bedroom he paused, looking down at her.

“And the answer to my question is?”

“Are you going to tell me refusal is not an option?” She would have liked to sound blasé, but there was a tremor in her voice she couldn’t hide.

Instead of replying, he kissed her more tenderly than she would have believed possible. Floating through her mind came the memory of her fear when she knew she was falling in love with him, that feeling of plunging into the unknown. She had plunged and he had caught her, and she couldn’t be safer or happier than she was right now.

Her heart was singing so loudly she thought he couldn’t fail to hear it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled into his eyes.

“You’ve talked me into it,” she whispered before his lips silenced her again.

THE END

Judy Huston worked for many years as a newspaper journalist in both Australia and England before deciding to hit the freelance writing trail. As well as writing romance fiction she is the author of private biographies, children’s stories and magazine articles. Judy lives in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, not far from the coastal city of Newcastle which provides the setting for
Temporary Intrigue
.

Please visit Judy’s website at
www.judyhuston.com.au