46

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mikey giving his boss a sly grin, which I wanted nothing more than to be able to wipe off his face.

“Not so fast,cherie. Mikey. Leave us alone for tonight. Gather the troops, including my brother for a meeting in the morning. Contact my father as well. I want it held at his house.”

“You got it, boss.” While his face registered surprise, Mikey said nothing else before taking long strides out of the room.

I took a deep breath, doing what I could to ignore the crap on the oversized screen. They were going on and on about it, dissecting my entire life. Where I’d gone to school. Where I ate lunch on a regular basis. Where I lived. Nothing was sacred.

Joshua placed whatever drink he had on his desk, clipping off the television then walking toward me slowly. “Here’s what we’regoing to do. We’re going to make dinner and enjoy an evening. The news broadcast was meant to put the fear of God into us. That’s not who we are or what we’re made of. Tomorrow we’ll begin to decipher the mystery.”

“There is no mystery. Christine Warner is behind this. I am positive of it.”

“As my father always told me. When something seems too easy to decipher, it’s usually wrong. Don’t be quick to jump to conclusions. That’s what someone wants us to do. I’m not taking no for an answer. My son is enamored with you. Maybe it was because of the cookie monster. This is the closest he’s seemed to a normal little boy since he walked into my house.”

When he put it that way, how could I refuse? Besides, I doubted he’d allow me to do so. I nodded, uncertain of what to say.

“But I assure you,cherie, we will figure this out. And when we do, make no mistake that the person responsible will pay dearly for hurting you. And I can’t wait for that moment to happen.”

The truth was I couldn’t either. Another truth, and one that scared me to death? I wanted him to handle it his way. No matter the circumstances or consequences. Maybe I was the kind of woman who could cross the thin line.

What was so wrong with that?

I’d decided that nothing could surprise me about Joshua any longer, but I was oh-so wrong. Pleasantly so. As I stood with a glass of merlot in my hand watching Joshua’s interactions with Christopher, I was amazed how loving the brutal man could be.

“Do you know what Selena made for you for dessert?” he asked, lifting his head and grinning like the kid who stood only a few feet away.

Christopher shook his head, his eyes bright.

“An ice cream cookie cake.”

It was impossible not to laugh seeing Joshua’s facial expressions and when he pinched Christopher’s nose, the little boy giggled as if he was so happy.

“Would you like me to get it from the freezer?” I asked, trying to have a singsong tone as I placed my wine on the island.

Now the kid nodded enthusiastically. Joshua had made cheeseburgers on the grill, the sloppy goodness probably the best meal I’d had in a long time. It was good to relax and pretend that I hadn’t slipped straight into hell. Even the homemade French fries were some of the best I’d ever had. After grabbing the cake from the freezer, I marveled at just how many flavors of ice cream had been tucked away.

“I’m curious. Did you purchase all those cartons of frozen delights?” I asked, placing the cake on the counter and moving toward the cabinet for bowls.

“Maybe,” Joshua said, winking at Christopher for a second time. “I will neither admit nor deny anything. Or maybe in front of my attorney I should say that I take the fifth.”

I wanted to tell him that the likelihood of me remaining an attorney anywhere was slim to nil, but instead I rolled my eyes in an exaggerated manner. “Uh-huh. Your personal, private attorney?”

“You betcha.”

I still felt like running had its share of distinct problems, not including the media coverage that had turned me into an instant social media anti-heroine if there was such a thing. It had also altered my way of thinking.

And of what was most important.

Okay, so I was enjoying that aspect, something so unexpected and refreshing that I wanted to take off my shoes, digging my toes into the fabulous-looking turf outside. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea since there were likely armed guards at every turn, most of whom probably didn’t know who I was or what the hell I was doing here.

“Then I suppose we need to discuss my salary.” I gave him a wry look as I reached around Joshua, opening the silverware drawer. “By the way, you look good in an apron.”

Now Christopher was snorting, laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to choke. I had to admit, standing in a kitchen of a house in the beautiful city of Montreal with a known fugitive, a little boy with a cherub face, and a sweet concoction that Matt had made fun of when I’d made it one time for him was way more fun than dealing with my usual routine.

If that made me a little bit crazier than I’d originally thought, then so be it. I scooped out generous helpings, plopping them in the bowls. Suddenly, I felt Joshua on one side of me, Christopher on the other, the little boy rising onto his toes.

“Do you need any help with that?” Joshua asked in the kind of voice that sent a shower of shivers all the way to my pinky toes. He took his time untying the apron, giving me such a heated look that I was almost shoved into a trance. Everything about him was so damn sexy, including the way he removed and hung upthe long piece of material. I suddenly had the need to see him in an apron and nothing else.

“Mmm… Maybe for cleaning up.” Licking spoons. Licking off his body. Jesus. I was losing it.

“You got a deal,cherie. Come on, little cookie monster. It’s way past your bedtime.”

Just staring at Joshua took my breath away. While I shouldn’t be thinking lurid thoughts with everything going to shit, it was impossible when watching him with a smaller version of himself. He was imposing, so protective that it was annoying. And as I’d thought from the minute I’d laid eyes on him, he was by far the sexiest man alive. More so with his apron and casual clothes, acting as if neither one of us had a worry in the world.

Of course, the grim reality was hiding in the shadows like the reaper, waiting with fangs and claws to chomp down into our flesh and bone.

Great, girlfriend. Imagine your nightmares tonight.

If I managed to get any sleep at all.

Now I was mesmerized all over again by the way Joshua smiled after taking the first bite. I’d seen men smile hundreds, thousands of times, but so many of the gestures were more like smirks, as if they had something to hide, something ominous and cunning. That had been the world I’d lived in for long enough I could see through it in a heartbeat. What I witnessed during the next ten or so magical seconds was spellbinding.

The smile Joshua issued while teasing his son, taking huge spoonfuls of the gooey mess then both of them laughing was about to melt me into a giant puddle on the floor. The brutalsavage of the man who hadn’t thought twice about taking the lives of the men chasing us inside that black sedan had transformed into a bright light, a big teddy bear.

I was so taken aback that I hadn’t realized I’d lifted my spoon into the air, drops splashing across the top of my other hand. Of course as we’d both experienced before, Joshua seemed to sense I was staring at him, twisting his head over his shoulder. He’d been very careful not to say anything out of character in front of his son, refusing to give away either our closeness or the fact we were in significant trouble. So when his nostrils flared, the look of desire in his eyes like a fire on a cloudless night, I started to sway a little.

“You’re making a mess,cherie. Come sit with us.” Gah, his voice was so commanding, creating another wave of wetness, only this time between my legs.

Flirting I’d never been very good at, but I couldn’t resist lifting my hand, licking the ice cream off my skin. Now the way he was looking at me was as if he had plans on painting my entire body with ice cream, taking his time to lick it off with his rough tongue.

And God knew I would enjoy the hell out of experiencing a tongue bath.

I blinked several times, realizing that Christopher was signing something to me furiously. I’d learned in the two hours I’d been able to spend with the young man that he was brilliant, the artwork on the refrigerator not a clear indication of his talent either. While dinner was being finished, he’d asked me what my favorite animal was, and I’d told him a Golden Retriever. The picture he’d drawn was so spectacular that it literally had taken my breath away.

I tried to pull my concentration, shifting it to the little boy, unable to keep giggling myself from what he’d signed. I was forced to turn away, laughing so hard that I almost choked. Even better, so was Christopher.

“Uh-huh. I can tell the cookie monster is going to bring out the tickle monster.” Joshua’s voice was followed by an entirely different playful growl and within seconds, his son was yelping with joy, laughing even harder.

By the time I’d spun around, Joshua was holding him with both hands several feet off the floor, blowing air on the boy’s tummy. All I could do was watch and laugh.

Then it hit me hard that I could love the brooding man so easily, falling hard when that was the last thing I needed to do, especially right now.

When Joshua finally placed his son on the floor after also flying him around as if the kid was on a magical airplane, I was so struck by how close they were that I almost teared up.

“Alright, kiddo. Finish that fabulous dessert Ms. Barrios made for you so I can tuck you into bed. And what about Ms. Barrios? You need to be a good girl and finish your dessert too.”

“And why should I do that, Mr. James?”

“If you’re patient then you will find out.”

With that he returned to conversing with Christopher, the little boy listening to every word intently.

As I took another bite of ice cream, crunching on the cookies, I realized that was the moment I’d fallen in love with the man.

Now what the hell was I supposed to do?