acceptance was all he needed to make his move. Looping their arms together, he turned to lead her down the hall. Once inside the gallery, he would ply her with champagne then excuse himself to take care of business so he could return to the pleasure of making this lady’s acquaintance.
But as they reached the restrooms, Lindy came to a sudden stop. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
With his adrenaline still pumping, he couldn’t pinpoint what it was about Lindy that had his instincts on edge.
“What?” he asked.
Raising a slim finger, she pointed above their heads, directly at his digital imaging device.
One small gesture and Joshua had his explanation. As usual, his instincts were on target—this woman was a lot more than a pretty lady in a white dress.
Following her gaze to the security camera, he said, “Well, that doesn’t look like it belongs there, does it?”
“Sure doesn’t.”
“What makes you think that device belongs to me?”
“Simple arithmetic.”
“As in two plus two equals four?”
She inclined her head so the exit light threw fiery highlights onto her hair. “The usher couldn’t confirm where you’d gone, so I guessed you’d given him the slip. And you weren’t wearing gloves when you left the gallery, so that would mean you were handling a sculpture where…? On the stairs? Another gallery on another floor? I don’t believe the loo factored at all, and I’m not generally wrong.”
No, there was nothing wrong with Lindy Gardner except that she was toying with him.
“Are you trying to pin something on me?”
“Do I hear an emphasis on trying?”
He laughed. “How do I know you didn’t plant that device to frame me?”
“You don’t.” She glanced at her watch then back up at him, the smile twitching around her mouth again. “I will say I’m very impressed, though. Given my calculations, which began when you left the gallery, you placed that device on the security camera at least nine minutes ago. I’ve just chewed up another two chatting, which puts you at eleven minutes give or take. You won’t want to leave that device behind because you know as well as I do when security discovers it, they’re going to run the guest list. You won’t want to be called in for questioning whether or not they can pin the goods on you.”
“So, what impresses you?”
“That you haven’t broken a sweat yet.”
Joshua didn’t get a chance to respond because as he registered that tonight wasn’t the first time Lindy Gardner had heard his name, feminine laughter rang out in the hall behind them—women headed to the restroom.
“Think they’ll wonder what we’re doing down here?” Lindy asked.
“They’ll know what we’re doing.”
Her mouth pursed. “Really?”
“Really.”
In one move, he pinned her against the wall and brought his mouth down on hers.
Now it was Joshua’s turn to be impressed. Lindy didn’t react with surprise. She only exhaled a laugh that burst against his lips in a champagne-laced breath before her mouth yielded to his—soft, warm, arousing.
Definitely a kissing mouth.
Lips parted. Breaths collided. Tongues tangled, leaving Joshua the one feeling impressed and surprised. By the way Lindy threw herself into the moment, sliding her arms around his neck and pressing all those lush curves against him.
And by the way his body reacted. His pulse rushed. His blood crashed south so fast the sensation made him deepen their kiss just to share her air.
If Lindy’s mouth had been made for kissing, the woman herself was all about making love.
Their bodies aligned perfectly. With her face tipped upward, her mouth fitted his just right for this soul-dragging kiss. She toyed with his neck, fingers sliding into his hair and caressing places he hadn’t realized could feel intimate.
Feel intimate they did.
She was an enticing armful. Long, lithe, much more toned than her slim curves appeared at a glance, she possessed a strength that suggested an active lifestyle. Her smooth stomach caught what wanted to become an erection—this woman aroused him faster than he’d ever been aroused.
And he wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of their closeness. Something about Lindy’s swaying hips felt real. He didn’t think this was a performance. Another question to add to his growing list about this woman.
Was she a bold thief sent to trap him?
British…MI6?
Joshua only had one answer—he was in trouble here.
He’d stepped out of a stairwell, and life had taken an unexpected turn. He might not know who Lindy Gardner was yet…he might not know why they were fire together… but he damn sure recognized trouble.
It was kissing him full on the mouth right now.
By the time they finally broke apart, the intruding women had long since entered the restroom. In fact, for all Joshua knew, they might have come and gone. The only thing he was sure of was that his blood was pumping so hard he wanted to brace himself against the wall for support.
He would never let on that one kiss had leveled him.
“Excellent cover,” Lindy said breathlessly, drawing his gaze to her lips and that just-kissed look. “I’m impressed again, Joshua. You think fast on your feet.”
He was lucky to be standing on them.
“Thank you.”
She pointed up at the ceiling. “So we’re back to leaving that device there.”
“Does sound like a problem. I’m not sure for whom, though.”
She chuckled, a silky sound that filtered through the quiet hallway and drove another bolt of need home so he had to control an urge to pull her back into his arms.
“Your problem, Joshua, whether or not you admit it.”
“Guess we’ll never know. So what are we going to do? Will you let me tour you through the exhibit, so you can keep your eyes on me?”
“Actually, I’m going to rescue your cute bum.”
“Really?”
That had promise. A rescue wouldn’t be unwelcome, whether he admitted it or not. Joshua found himself both curious and pleased she thought his bum cute enough to save.
Now
