doctors were afraid she wasn’t going to pull through. The boys were scared and there were three babies to worry about. To make the kids feel better, their dad said they could name the triplets.” He grinned.
“That sounds like trouble.”
“Not so bad. They’re Nevada, Montana and Dakota.”
“It could be worse.”
“I heard Oceania was in the running.”
She winced. “Okay, then Montana is a whole lot more mainstream than that.” She looked at him. “You enjoyed living with them.”
“I did.”
“Everyone here has ties,” she said, sounding wistful. “A history.”
Josh swore silently. At times like this, he really hated the position Marsha had put him in. The secret was hers to keep or tell, but the longer she was quiet, the worse it was going to be.
“I think it’s better if no one knows what happened tonight,” he said quickly, to distract her.
Charity’s head snapped up. “What?”
“People will talk, what with you being new and all in town.” He shrugged. “I don’t want anyone to know you’re using me.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Using you?”
“You took advantage of me. Tempted me with your feminine wiles so you could trick me into having sex with you.”
She put her glass of wine on the coffee table and launched herself at him. Fortunately his drink was also safely on the table, so he was able to catch her.
She wiggled and twisted, shrieking, not quite hitting him, but coming close. He wrapped his arms around her and held her still.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“Because if you were trying to hurt me, you failed.”
“I know.” She shifted so she could glare at him. “I’m not using you for sex.”
“You didn’t even buy me dinner first.”
She shrieked. “You’re the guy.”
“Great. So you not only took advantage of me, you’re sexist, too.”
“Dammit, Josh.” She shoved at his chest, then dropped her head on his shoulder. “You make me crazy.”
“I do what I can.”
She chuckled. “I’ve never known anyone like you.”
“I get that a lot.”
“I didn’t mean it as a compliment.” She looked up at him again, her expression serious. “About what we did…It would probably be better if we didn’t talk about it. You’re right. I am new in town and while I do believe you’re not the wild man everyone thinks, no one else does.”
“I know.” He cupped her face, then kissed her. “You’re not the type to enjoy being another notch on my bike.”
“I’ve never heard it put quite like that, but it gets the point across.”
As she stared at him, looking both worried and hopeful, he knew she wasn’t trying to be cruel. That in her world, privacy mattered and her reputation was everything. A reputation he could destroy with a casual comment or two.
He’d been living in the public eye for so long, he’d forgotten what anything else was like.
She smiled slowly. “Is there a fan club? I should probably join.”
“I’ll get you an application. The dues are reasonable and you get an autographed picture of me, suitable for framing.”
She laughed. “Really? Is it that bare-butt shower shot?”
“How do you know about that?”
“Sheryl, my assistant, had it as part of her screen saver. I had to ask her to remove it.” She lowered her voice. “It’s not exactly appropriate for a work setting.”
“Probably not. You don’t have to worry. The fan club doesn’t send out the butt shot.”
“Too bad. It was impressive.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Good.”
She was stretched out across him, her body nestling against his. Despite his recent release, he could feel the need building up inside of him. Once again, the image of taking things slow, of learning every inch of her body, filled his mind.
But this wasn’t the time. What had happened earlier had been spontaneous. Taking her to his bed would imply more than he was willing to offer right now. He might not know everything about Charity, but he knew she was the type who got involved first. Who gave her heart along with her body. He wasn’t anyone to be trusted with a good woman’s heart.
So as much as he wanted to lower his head and kiss her again, he instead shifted out from under her. He rose, and then pulled her to her feet.
“I’m going to walk you home.”
“I know the way.”
“Maybe, but the streets are dangerous. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“My door is about five feet from yours. What could happen?”
“You never know.”
She smiled, then picked up her sandals and her purse. He followed her to the door.
She reached for the handle, then turned back to him. “You’re nothing like I thought.”
“Don’t be telling people that. If anyone asks, I’m a god in bed, remember.”
“Oh, you’re that. It’s just…” She placed her fingers on his cheek. “Someone who’s as famous as you, as successful, as good-looking, could easily be a real jerk. You’re not. You care about people. You understand. I know my opinion doesn’t mean anything, but your ex-wife was really stupid to let you go.”
He’d been given thousands of compliments over the years. Maybe more. Women had praised everything from his looks to his equipment. Most of the time, he’d known they were simply trying to get what they wanted.
Now, as he stared into Charity’s pretty eyes and saw the earnest truth there, he knew she meant what she said.
“Thank you,” he said.
She gave him a quick smile, then opened the door. Seconds later, she was safely in her own room, and he was alone in the hallway. As he walked the few feet back to his room, he realized it had been a very long time since
