Josh couldn’t get over how proud he was of her. He knew she wasn’t a fighter, but she wasn’t going to let people walk all over her. Caroline had given up being a doormat. But the admiration was coupled with something else—something broader, more consuming.
Forget the idea that he was falling in love with her... he was already there. It scared the crap out of him and he needed time to get his head around it all, but he knew he loved her.
Little Rossi.
Now he had to hope her family didn’t kill him.
Chapter 12
He was making her jumpy. But Caroline couldn’t help loving how Josh paced around the kitchen, eyes on her while she cooked, and alternated between telling her about his meeting with the new investor and the follow-up he’d scheduled with her new firm. He also wanted to know everything about her new job. She didn’t know if she was going to tell Josh about her encounter with Mark that afternoon. About the angry man who implied to her that if she kept undermining the position of the firm with a big client like Campbell Holdings, she wouldn’t have a job. The man who questioned her loyalty and her choices. This was the personality that had gotten him his reputation over the past ten years. Predatory. Dangerous.
A bully.
She was torn. It was possible Mark was afraid of Josh and was only making an idle threat. But something gnawed at her inside, and Caroline knew there was a difference in the way he was dealing with her. Thank God she wouldn’t be there much longer. In a few weeks she could forget all about Mark Strickland and the way he tried to control her every move. The man was constantly in the back of her mind and the stress of that was affecting everything she did.
Absolutely everything.
Caroline didn’t realize how close the blade of the knife was to her fingers until she felt the sting and yelped.
“Damn, ouch.”
Josh jumped to her side when he heard her, but he went into overdrive when he saw the blood.
“Ouch is right. Jesus. You have to pay attention.”
“I was. I
thought
I was.”
He didn’t say anything while he ran her hand under water and then put pressure on it with a paper towel. “What were you thinking about this time?”
He knew. She could see on his face that he knew.
“About work. I can’t wait to get out of there.”
“Is this about the asshole? Did he say something to you?”
Oh, there was her alpha male.
The patter she felt in her chest was her heart dancing.
But now it was decision time. Did she call in the cavalry or fight her own battles, especially since she was leaving the firm? Now that there was some definition to the relationship, she could certainly say something, but Caroline also had to be able to take care of herself. So, she didn’t tell him the whole truth. “No, he didn’t. Not directly.” God, she hated lying. But she loved that he was worried. “Is my big, strong boyfriend going to defend my honor?”
“You know I would.” Josh grinned when she tried the label on for size and Caroline felt the heat rise in her face. “I guess we’ll see how I am as a boyfriend; it’s my first time.”
“Really, your first time?”
“Being in a real relationship. I mean, there was high school, but that doesn’t count. Hold this on your finger.” He left her to put pressure on her cut with the paper towel while he went to the cabinet and retrieved a first aid kit. “You aren’t the only virgin in this, Caroline.” The bleeding had slowed to almost nothing, and when she looked at the wound she saw it wasn’t that bad. He doctored her finger with ointment and a Band-Aid, and Caroline’s dark mood lifted when he kissed the tip of her finger. “All better,” he said. Then he kissed her lips.
The kiss was sweet, but there was a wicked invitation attached.
“If he does anything, I want to know about it.”
Caroline pushed back his hair, which was getting a little long, but she kind of liked the way it was falling across his forehead. “What are you going to do? Beat him up?”
He kissed her again, this time teasing her lips with his tongue and settling his hands on her hips, holding her tight against him. His erection pressed against her belly, and knowing he wanted her made everything inside her go liquid.
“If he bothers you again, it’s possible I could do real violence.”
“I didn’t realize you were the protective sort.”
He kissed her again. “I didn’t think so either, but you seem to bring it out in me.”
Caroline slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his broad chest. The crisp cotton of his dress shirt felt smooth against her skin and he smelled so good. There were remnants of his cologne, blending with fresh air and man. “Is that a good thing?”
That was a dumb question; she really didn’t want to know.
He considered her for a second. “It’s new for me, like I said.”
“Oh.” She looked away not knowing how to respond to that. He was being honest, and honesty is what good relationships were built on, but they were definitely in strange territory. Maybe she should just cut the peppers.
“What about you?”
“What about me what?” she asked. Playing ignorant wasn’t usually her thing, but it would work in this instance.
“Do you have a problem with me wanting to kick the shit out of him?”
Caroline thought about the question. She always considered herself independent and she never asked anyone for help. She wanted to think she could handle anything on her own. But Mark scared her, especially after today. Knowing Josh was feeling protective made her very, very happy. Like down-to-the-core happy.
Should she tell him?
There was no right answer here. The only thing she had guiding her was his honesty. Maybe it was time to be brave.
Caroline looked up, locking her eyes on his. His beautiful sky-blue eyes were unblinking, and seeing them focus on her brought a wave of emotion. For a moment she couldn’t speak, but his smile, his touch, encouraged her to go on. “I don’t have a problem with it at all. Thank you.”
Josh reached out and brushed away the tears she didn’t realize had spilled out of her eyes, then pulled her into his warmth. “If I kill him, you’ll have to be my alibi.”
“Deal.” Never had Caroline felt so completely safe. Josh’s arms, his strength, his humor made all of her problems go away. He kissed her temple as she burrowed into him, sealing his promise. Honesty, it seemed, was the best policy. Maybe it was time to go for broke.
Tightening her hold, Caroline kept her cheek against his chest and let the feel of him calm her. “I used to dream about you.”
“I figured. When?”
“I think I fell for you when I was twelve. It’s been on and off since then.”
Josh leaned back and smiled down at her. “Yeah?”
“You rescued me.”
His hand started to make lazy circles on her back and once again, his touch calmed her. “Tell me.”
“Meg and Jason were in our house. My parents weren’t home and a storm blew in while I was outside with the dogs. Meg called the dogs, and let them inside, but when I got to the door, she slammed it in my face and left me standing on the porch. I could see her laughing with Jason. They were stupid. She thought it was funny and I guess it would have been, but I hated storms and when the thunder started...”
“Oh, shit. I remember.” He leaned back and gazed at her, cupping her cheek and Caroline’s heart beat a little faster. “They left you outside in a wicked storm. You were curled up on the porch crying.”
“You were running up from the boathouse and you saw me.”
“I couldn’t believe they locked you outside in the first place, but leaving you there was cruel. That’s why you hate storms so much, isn’t it?”
“It was a joke to them, but yeah, I was scared. Until you came. You got me inside and gave Meg and Jason hell. And then you stayed with me and watched a movie.”
“I didn’t trust them to be nice to you.”
Josh smiled and Caroline remembered the moment so long ago when she fell in love with him. He was sitting in the den with her, on the opposite side of the couch, a bowl of popcorn between them while they watched the first “Lord of the Rings” movie. Caroline couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was her hero... older, smarter, so very handsome... and her heart skipped and that was it. She was his.
Standing in his kitchen, Caroline was even more far gone than when she was a girl.
The door buzzer broke the silence and Caroline shook her head, wondering if his female fan club was going to visit him at home. He stepped to the intercom and pressed the button. “Yeah?”
“Hey, man. Let me up.”
“Oh,” Caroline said. Her breath halted. “It’s not...”
Josh nodded. Of course her brother Kevin was here. He was in town with his baseball team, and since he and Josh had stayed friends over the years she should have realized. The timing couldn’t have been worse, but Josh didn’t seem at all fazed. “Calm down. He’s going to be fine that we’re together, but we’ll tell him we’re friends, if that makes you feel better.”
It didn’t. She wanted to tell everyone, including her brother, that she’d loved Josh more than anything. “Do you think he’s going to believe that?”
Josh laughed. “He might.” He grinned before he pressed the button again. “Come on up,” he said.
Caroline was wondering what her brother was going to say when he saw her there. Kevin was pretty laid-back, but she had no idea how he was going to react to this.
Josh left the kitchen and she followed what was going on just by listening. She heard when her brother arrived in the foyer. Heard the door open and Josh and he greet each other with a bro dance. They’d been best friends when they were younger, staying in touch casually despite the estrangement between the families, and had picked things up after Josh helped Meg and Jason with the custody battle over Molly. She heard shuffling and backslapping and juvenile laughter. And with each second the sounds got closer and closer to the kitchen.
“Is this your surprise, dude?” It was her brother. “My sister in your kitchen?”
Caroline turned and gave Kevin a little wave. He took three steps and scooped her into a massive hug.
“What the hell are you doing hanging out with this loser?” Kevin asked, tugging on her ponytail before letting her go. “I always thought you were the smart one.”
There it was. Smart one. Pretty one. “He’s not a loser,” Caroline said, glancing at Josh. “Most of the time.”
“Hey!” Josh smiled at her as he grabbed a beer from the fridge for Kevin, her big brother, who was now leaning against the island watching them. He was not happy.
Kevin was a good guy. Classically handsome, with dark hair and dark eyes, he was Josh’s height, but he had about twenty more pounds of muscle on his frame. Her brother had the women swooning at stadiums all over the country, and Caroline was thankful he hadn’t let it go to his head. His career in pro baseball had thrown him into a lot of different places over the course of his career and he currently called Chicago home. There was chatter, though, that New York would be trying to get the gifted, power-hitting catcher on their roster. Caroline would love that, because even though Kevin was protective, he respected her and understood that she was an adult. Then again, she’d never slept with one of his friends before.
“You’re cooking?” Kevin asked as he took a long pull on the beer. “Why are you making him dinner? He should take you out.”
Oh, yes, because that would have been so much better. “Let’s see . . . I want to? I like to cook and I’ve been in love with this kitchen since the first time I saw it.”
And when we’re here there are no Josh groupies.
“Ah,” her brother nodded. “Come here often?”
She felt herself grin. She was here a lot, but didn’t want to say anything that would make it sound too intense for Josh. “As a matter of fact, I do. What are you asking?”
Kevin slid closer to her and looked her right in the eyes. “I want to know if you’re dating my best friend, Caroline.”
Caroline took a deep breath and looked at her brother, then caught sight of Josh, who hadn’t left the spot he’d claimed near the fridge. He had a very knowing smirk on his face, and when she locked eyes with him, he didn’t hesitate and stepped to her side.
“It’s new, Kev,” Josh said. “We’re still figuring it out.”
“Figuring it out? Shit.” Kevin ran his fingers through his short, dark hair. Then glancing between them, her brother came to another realization. “No one else knows, do they?”
“Meg suspects, but I haven’t told her officially.” Caroline hesitated. “I’m having dinner with Mom tomorrow. Let me tell her first.”
“If there’s nothing wrong with you seeing him, and I’m not saying there is or isn’t, why do you care if anyone knows?”
Spoken like someone who had no clue. “Kevin, it’s not that, and I am telling her. I just needed some time. Did you tell Mom about the last girl you had sex with?”
“Shit!” Kevin exclaimed, shoving Josh. “You’re doing my sister, man?”
Caroline whacked her brother on the arm. “Focus! I want to know if you tell Mom your business?”
“I... I didn’t... It’s different.” Her poor brother was sputtering.
“How?”
He didn’t answer. He couldn’t.
“All I want is to be normal. To have some privacy. To be treated like an adult in the family instead of a like a child.”
“Shitballs,” Kevin said, looking at Josh. “Is this why you asked me over?”
“You asked him over?” Why on Earth would Josh do that without asking her?
“It was an impulse.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Josh shrugged. What kind of answer was that? Did he want them outed before she had a chance to tell anyone? “You would have been a nervous wreck. You have enough on your mind.”
He was right about that.
“I hate lying to Mom,” Kevin said. “I really hate it.”
“You won’t have to. Like Caroline said, we’ll tell her about us tomorrow.” Josh said.
Caroline leaned into him. “You’ll come with me?”
He nodded. “Your mother loves me.”
Someone was cocky. But it was the truth. Her mother always had a soft spot for Josh.
Caroline was still trying to get used to all the changes. Kevin seemed fine now, even if he was a little grossed out. And what was Josh trying to do? What was the comment about her mother all about? She hadn’t freaked him out in the slightest with the boyfriend comment, either. Without saying anything, he’d made his intentions clear. They were together.
In this case, actions definitely spoke louder than words.
Josh rummaged in the island cabinets and came out with a large pasta pot. “Will this work for the spaghetti?”
Caroline nodded. Josh took the pot to the stove and started filling it with water from the faucet positioned over the back of the range. He and Kevin were talking about baseball and hockey, and Caroline enjoyed the banter between them. That they were still close after all these years and nothing, not even Meg and Jason’s drama, had put a wedge in their friendship was a comfort. There may have been ups and downs, but in the end, Josh was the brother Kevin never had. It was a good thing for Josh, because Kevin would be a loyal ally. Her brother may not want to think about the particulars of what she and Josh did together, but as long as Caroline was happy, he’d be supportive.