The Private Eye (11 page)

Josh lowered himself cautiously onto the sofa beside
Maggie. “What brought that up?”

“What?”

“Selling the manor. Every time I've talked to you,
you've always made it clear you're not even considering that alternative.”

Maggie sighed and leaned back against the sofa cushion.
She toyed absently with the long rhinestone necklace she was wearing. The stones
sparkled like diamonds in the soft light.

“Clay and I were discussing it earlier in the evening,”
Maggie explained. “I told you he's a real-estate agent. A very good one, apparently.”

“I know. I saw the Mercedes and the gold ring on his
pinkie.” Josh had also pumped the Colonel, Odessa and Shirley for every scrap
of information they had on Clay O'Connor. He hadn't learned much more than he
had already guessed.

“He really thinks I should dump the manor,” Maggie
continued. “Says I'm pouring money down a hole trying to keep it open. He's
been after me to cut my losses for several weeks now.”

“When did you start dating him?”

“Two months ago.” Maggie fiddled with her teacup. “He's
really very nice, you know.”

“No. How would I know?”

“Well, he is,” she muttered. Then she gave him a
reproachful glance. “That reminds me. I had to fast-talk my way around the
subject of our 'mutual friend' when Clay asked me about her. Or him. You really
should have briefed me on your cover story. Josh.”

“What did you tell him?” Josh asked, unconcerned.

“Not much. Just that the friend lived in Seattle. Then
I changed the subject.”

“Sounds like you handled it well.”

“Nevertheless, I expect to be kept better informed in
the future. And speaking of being informed, let's have your report.”

Josh shrugged. “I think we can safely discard Shirley's
theory of who's behind the trouble here at the manor. I made some inquiries
about Ricky 'The Wrecker’ Ring and the answer came back today.”

“Oh, yes. Your computer inquiries.” Maggie smiled eagerly.
“What did you learn?”

Josh decided there was no point in telling her he'd
learned everything through a simple phone call to the home office where one of
his staff had run a quick check. “Ricky Ring got out of prison five years ago.
From all accounts he was a model prisoner – spent most of his time inside
teaching other inmates how to read. Since getting out, he's routinely devoted
twenty hours a week to a local literacy project. He's living a quiet life down
in Portland and shows absolutely no signs of going back to his erring ways. His
present income appears to be derived entirely from T-bills and government
securities that he bought years ago before he went to jail. In short, Ricky is
a reformed man.”

“No indication that he's out for vengeance?”

“None.”

Maggie gazed thoughtfully into her chocolate. “Well, I
never did think Shirley's explanation was sound. What about Odessa's nephews?”

“I did some checking on them, too. All three nephews
live on the East Coast. Not one of them has ever made a trip to Washington, and
apparently not one of them has any intention of doing so. Furthermore, they are
all doing quite well financially. Two of them are lawyers and one of them is in
banking. I'm still checking on the mining stock Odessa owns.”

“That leaves the Colonel and his fuel experiments,
doesn't it?”

Josh was about to tell her that from what he'd seen of
the Colonel's work, they could safely discard that theory, too. There was no
way anyone was going to turn water into a combustible substance. At least, not
going at it the way the Colonel was, But Josh thought he would save that
revelation for later. He had to make his work last for the next three weeks.

“I'm still working on the Colonel's theory and your
idea that someone is after your aunt's emerald brooch,” Josh said smoothly.

“I suppose you think my theory is as nutty as all the
others that are floating around here.”

“What makes you say that?” He slanted her a surprised,
assessing glance. Her tone of voice alarmed him. This was not the upbeat,
gung-ho Maggie he had come to know during the past week. “You're kind of down
tonight, aren't you?”

“A little,” she admitted. She set her hot chocolate on
the table, leaned her head back and gazed forlornly out the window into the darkness.
“Clay talked all evening about how smart it would be to sell the manor. He
meant well, I know. But still, it was depressing hearing him lay out all the
practical reasons why I should get rid of the place. He says I'm not doing the
Colonel, Odessa and Shirley any favours trying to save it.”

“Yeah?”

Maggie nodded wearily. “He says they'd all be better
off financially if I sold the manor and gave them a share of the profits. I
don't know. Josh. Maybe I am being foolish, trying to save it. What if there
really isn't something mysterious going on around here for you to find? What if
it's just a big old house slowly fading away?”

“Hey, let's not jump to the worst possible conclusions
so soon.” Josh realized with a start that he didn't want Maggie to have to face
reality quite so quickly.

To his chagrin, he was suddenly stricken with a wild,
impulsive desire to help her salvage her dream.
Bad move
, he reminded
himself.
It never pays to play hero
.

But it was too late. Josh knew he was already looking
for ways to ride to the rescue.

“Maybe Clay's right. Josh. Maybe it would be doing
Odessa and Shirley and the Colonel a favour if I sold the place now. I know
they love it and think of it as their home, but – ”

“Give me the rest of the month,” Josh said quickly.
“Just give me the amount of time you contracted for in the beginning. That's
all I ask, Okay?”

She turned her head on the cushion and looked up at him
with damp eyes. “But what can you do besides prove our theories wrong? What if
there isn't anything odd happening?”

He framed her face gently with one hand and leaned
close. “Maggie, you hired me to fix things. Let me do my job for the rest of
the month and we'll see what happens.” He grinned briefly and brushed his mouth
lightly against hers. “What have you got to lose? I work cheap, remember?”

“Oh, Josh, I just don't know. I was so sure in the
beginning, but Clay says – -”

“Forget O'Connor, okay?” Josh stroked his thumb along
her lower lip. “You haven't made that call to McCray, have you?”

“Well, no.” She went very still as she looked up at
him. Her mouth trembled slightly. “I really don't see why I should.”

“Maggie, sweetheart, you are very kind, but a little
naive.” He brought his mouth down on hers and this time he didn't pull away.

Maggie held herself tensely as he slowly deepened the
kiss. And then, to his incredible delight, she began to respond. Josh felt his
whole body react instantaneously to the promise of her stirring softness. His
blood sang with the thrill of a desire that went all the way to his core.

When she moved again it was to put her arms tentatively
around his waist. She was careful of his ribs. Josh probed gently and her mouth
opened for him.

With a rush of passion he could barely restrain, he
realized that he was already fighting for his self-control. The effect Maggie
had on him was electrifying. He was suddenly insatiably hungry for her. But it
was too soon to take her to bed. If he tried, he would no doubt scare her off
entirely. He had to go slowly, he told himself. But he was no longer sure he
could wait. It had never been like this. At least not for more years than he
could recall.

“Josh?”

“Maggie, sweetheart. Just let me touch you. Please,
love.” He eased her down carefully onto the cushions of the old Victorian sofa
and sprawled heavily on top of her. She was soft and sleek beneath him, the
gentle contours of her body accepting all the hard, rough-edged places of his.
He was overwhelmingly conscious of wanting to be careful with her, of wanting
to let her respond to him in her own time.

Josh groaned; the husky sound of need chained by
willpower emanated from somewhere deep inside him. He kissed the curve of
Maggie's cheek and then her throat. When he raised his head to look down at her
he saw the wonder and uncertainty in her beautiful eyes. And then he saw the
sweet passion that was flickering to life within her.

Josh reached out to switch off the lamp and the shadows
enveloped them.

“Josh. Josh.”

His name on Maggie's lips was a breathless whisper in
the darkness. It sent a shudder of desire flaring through him.

“I'm right here, sweetheart.” He stroked a finger
inside the V-neck of her dress, tracing its outline down to the lowest point
just above her breasts. Then he slowly drew his finger back up to her throat
where her pulse beat warmly in the soft hollow.

“You are a very strange man,” Maggie said seriously.

That made him hesitate. “Why do you say that?”

“I don't know. There's just something different about
you.”

“Different from what?” he demanded.

“Different from any other man I've ever met.”

Josh relaxed slightly. He smiled in the shadows.

“Okay, I can live with that, I guess. It's not the most
inspiring compliment you could give a man under these conditions, but I suppose
I can put my own interpretation on it.”

She touched the side of his face with gentle, questing
fingertips. Her shadowed eyes were still very serious.

“What would be a more inspirational remark?”

He slowly started to undo the large black buttons that
closed the front of the dress. “You could tell me I'm incredibly sexy,”

“You are,” she said with a simple, touching honesty. “But
I figured you already knew that.”

The words struck him like lightning. His hand stilled
on a button as he paused to gaze down at her, “Maggie.”

“Hmm?” She was fingering the buttons on his shirt.

“Maggie, sweetheart, do you mean that? You really think
I'm sexy?”

“Yes. The sexiest man I've ever met.”

“Oh, Maggie.” He choked back an exultant laugh and
hugged her fiercely. “I forgive you for all the nasty cracks you've made about
me during the past few days. I'll even forget you called me accident-prone.”

She relaxed in his arms and giggled softly against his
chest. “You like hearing you're sexy?”

“I like hearing it from you. I like it very, very
much.” Josh went back to work on the buttons of her dress. “Mostly because J
think you are incredibly, astoundingly, amazingly sexy.”

The laughter went out of her again. She clung to him
with sudden urgency. “Josh, there has to be more.”

Josh sucked in his breath as his ribs protested her
abruptly fierce hug. “There is more, sweetheart.” He took a cautious breath as
she released him. “A lot more. Give me a chance to show you.”

He had the front of the dress open now. Rhinestones
spilled across the upper curves of her breasts. He eased his hand inside and
found the softness of a warm globe cupped in lace. When he brushed his thumb
over its sweetly shaped curve he felt the velvety nipple stir and begin to
harden. He realized she was holding her breath.

“Relax, Maggie. Trust me tonight.”

“I do trust you. It's crazy. But I do.” She put her
anus around his neck and kissed the taut line of his jaw. Her leg shifted
alongside his on the cushions.

Josh could feel the promise of surrender in her and he
was awed. The soft, giving warmth other made him powerfully aware of his own
maleness. He sensed that he was being given a rare and wonderful gift and that
he dared not ruin the experience by demanding more than Maggie was prepared to
give at this point.

Josh reached down and found the hem of her dress. He
eased it upward to her thighs and sighed when he felt the warmth between her legs.
He lowered his mouth to one breast, dampening the nipple beneath the lace with
his tongue. When she moaned softly, he began to explore her more thoroughly.

Slowly he eased the silky panty hose down her legs to
her ankles. Then he peeled them off her delicately arched feet. He slid his
hands back up her legs and gently pushed her thighs more widely apart. She
resisted slightly and then surrendered to his gentle, insistent pressure.

His fingers brushed against the soft nest that
sheltered her secrets.

“
Josh
.”

There was a throaty passion in her voice. And
uncertainty, as well. Josh couldn't tell if he had gone too far or if she
wanted him to go further. He brushed his fingers against her again and felt the
wet heat. He kissed her deeply “Do you like that, Maggie?”

“Yes. Oh, yes-Please, Josh.” She was starting to clutch
at him, moving her head restlessly.

Josh took a deep breath to control his own skyrocketing
need. He cupped her intimately with the palm of his hand. “You're burning up,
sweetheart, aren't you?”

Her answer was to arch herself against his hand. Josh
stroked one finger slowly inside her and felt her shiver in response. “You're
so tight,” he said in wonder. “Tight and hot and wet. All passion and fire.” He
stroked again – a little harder – and she gasped.