Fearless (14 page)

Josh laughed, though he wasn’t amused. “You need to shut your mouth, you little...”

Lexi flattened her palm against his chest. “Stop it right now.” She looked down the street. “I have neighbors. The last thing I need is for them to call the police.”

Josh wasn’t worried. He had friends on the force in Arkansas. Once a cop, always a cop; that was their motto. “Tell junior here to pack his bags and we won’t have a problem, Lex.”

“You actually think I’m gonna leave her alone here with you?” Mark asked, chuckling. “You must be dumber than you look.”

Josh reached around Lexi to grab his shirt.

Lexi screamed. “Stop it, Josh. Please, don’t do this.” She pushed Mark into the house. “Go now.”

Once Mark was safely inside, Lexi came at Josh, fists flying against his chest. “Are you crazy? You could have hurt him.”

Josh grabbed her wrists, pinning her hands against his chest. “He asked for it, Lex.” He released her hands, waiting to see if she would pull away. When she didn’t, he groaned, locking his arms her waist. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“I’m here because you need me.”

She pushed him away. “No, I don’t. Ashley needs you. Your boys need you. I can take care of myself.”

He scrubbed his hands over his head. Clearly, she wasn’t going to make this easy for him. “Lexi, come on. I know the whole story. If you testify against that dirtbag, you’re putting your life on the line.”

“Sssh.” She looked around, glancing at the bushes surrounding the house before she grabbed the doorknob. “We can’t have this conversation out here.”

He followed her inside. He couldn’t go any further when she stopped in the small foyer, blocking his path. He reached down to brush a stray hair aside, but she slapped his hand away. 

“What was that for?”

“Keep your hands to yourself.” She peered into the living room. “Mark must be in the restroom. I want you to promise me there won’t be a problem between the two of you.”

He grinned. “I know of one way you can guarantee it.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking skeptical. “What’s that?”

“Send him packing so we can be alone,” he whispered. He bent down, crowding her against the wall. “We need to talk, Lex.”

She tipped her head back to look at him. “Why do I get the feeling you have a lot more than talking on your mind?”

He moved closer, brushing his body against hers. “How could you tell?”

She pushed against his abdomen. “Stop it. I don’t want to be your consolation prize, Coop.”

His friends called him by his last name. He was tired of Lexi thinking of him as a friend. “You will never rank behind any other woman, baby. I can promise you that.” He pressed his hand against the wall beside her head. “I want...”

“Don’t think she cares what you want, my man. You best be going if you want to catch that flight back home tonight.”

Josh dropped his head and recited the mantra he’d been teaching his black belt students for years. He had to force himself to practice what he preached. “Lexi and I need some time alone, junior. Why don’t you make yourself scarce?”

“I don’t think so, buddy. Lexi and I were just getting ready for bed when you arrived.” He smiled at Lexi. “Weren’t we, sweetheart?”

Josh had never been so tempted to inflict bodily harm on another person. Not even during the years he spent on the force. “Listen, I’ve just about had it with...”

Lexi stepped out from under his arm. “Mark, why don’t you head on upstairs? Yours is the first room on the right.”

He cast a glance at Josh. “Will you be up soon?”

She nodded. “Josh and I need to talk. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

He grinned. “Not if I see you before.”

Josh watched him climb the stairs, envisioning his descent down the stairs, headfirst. “You need to get rid of that guy, or I’m gonna do it for you.”

She planted her fists on her hips. “Who the hell do you think you are, telling me who I can and can’t be friends with?”

He took a step closer. “I think I’m the guy you invited into your bed not too long ago.”

She walked into the living room, forcing him to follow her. “You lost your chance with me. If you were smart, you’d go back to your ex-wife and beg her to take you back.”

He watched her peer outside before drawing the curtains. She was nervous. She knew better than to think her ex’s family was blowing smoke just to scare her. Based on what he learned from his friends on the force, they would have no problem making good on their threats. All the more reason she needed him. “I told you; I don’t want Ashley. I want you.”

“Well, I don’t want you, so you’re wasting your time here.”

He laughed. “Lex, they used to call me the human lie detector. I was the guy they would call in when it was time to shake down a suspect. You think I don’t know you’re lying to me right now?”  

She folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t care what you think.”

He settled onto the sofa, propping his feet up on the upholstered ottoman. “Works both ways, baby. You think I should leave. I think I should stay. Guess who’s gonna win?”

She grunted. “You are the most infuriating man I’ve ever met.” She stomped across the room.

He lodged his tongue firmly against his cheek. “Is there room for me in that big ol’ bed, baby?”

She grabbed a pillow off a nearby chair and hurled it at him. “Sleep on the porch,” she shouted.

Chapter Eleven

Lexi felt a niggling of guilt when she went downstairs the next morning and found Josh sleeping on the couch in the living room. He had folded his 6’4” frame onto the two-seater sofa in a fetal position and positioned a decorator pillow under his neck. A fringe throw, which only covered half of his body, skimmed the floor.

She had a second guest bedroom upstairs, but after his behavior last night, she had been too perturbed to play the gracious hostess. Not that he was an invited guest. He was more like a squatter, taking up residence in her home and taking over her life.

She heard someone stirring in the kitchen. Her first instinct was to grab the fire poker as a weapon until she heard Mark’s off-key humming. Not only did she have one unwelcome houseguest to deal with, she had two.

She tightened the sash on her short terry-cloth robe. She suddenly wished she had left a more modest bathrobe hanging in her closet when she packed for what she thought would be an extended stay in Nashville. “Good morning,” she said, standing in the doorway. The man looked so at home in her kitchen that he made her feel like an intruder.

He was standing at the stove cooking eggs and bacon. He looked at her and smiled. “I hope you don’t mind? I noticed you’d cleared out the fridge and most of the cupboards, so I ran down to the corner store and picked up a few staples. I was going to bring your breakfast up in a little while.”  

When was the last time a man had brought her breakfast in bed? Never. She always kicked her lovers out well before the light of day. A sad testament to her life. Thirty years old and the only man who had ever seen her the morning after was Chris. “That was sweet of you, thanks.”

“My pleasure.” He chuckled. “Hope you don’t mind them scrambled? I was going for sunny side up, but it didn’t quite turn out the way I’d planned.”

She patted his back as she slid past him on her way to the coffeepot. “Eggs or no eggs, if you know how to make a strong cup of coffee, I’ll be your love slave for life.”

He wriggled his eyebrows. “I like the sound of that.”

“Don’t count on it, Romeo,” Josh said. He stood in the doorway, his T-shirt slung over his shoulder. He scratched the dark shadow on his cheek. “Hey, Lex, do you mind if I grab a shower?”

She tried to tear her eyes away from his bare chest. She had seen it, correction, felt it before, but never in the bright light of day. She knew he was strong, powerful, but knowing it and seeing the evidence of it were very different. Colorful tattoos wrapped around his well-muscled bicep, creating an interesting focal point that drew the eye to the breadth of his shoulders. His pectoral muscles began to quiver and she knew he had caught her ogling his broad chest. When she looked up, his blue eyes were bright with amusement.

“See anything you like, darlin’?”

She felt the blush creeping up her cheeks. “Uh, I...”

Mark saved her from having to reply. “Put a shirt on, man. What do you think this is, a brothel?”

Josh chuckled and fisted his shirt in his hand. “I didn’t even know they had those anymore. And to think I spent all those years in law enforcement. I guess you would know though, since you have to pay for it.”

Mark waved the spatula at him, oblivious to the grease dripping on the floor. “Watch it. I’m in no mood for your bullshit this morning.”

Josh held his hand out, shaking it from side to side. “Ohhh, I’m so scared.” He laughed. “I’ve stared down the barrel of a gun more times than I can count. Do you really think anything you say or do is going to intimidate me, pretty boy?”

Mark took a step forward.

Having to play referee to two adolescents was beginning to take a toll on her nerves. She knew she had to ask one or both men to leave today. Mark was the obvious choice, but the thought of being alone with Josh seemed more dangerous than the prospect of dealing with armed intruders.

“Stop it, both of you. Josh, go take a shower. You can use the main bathroom upstairs. You’ll find toiletries under the sink and towels in the linen closet at the end of the hall.”

He hesitated, still staring Mark down.

“Go, now,” Lexi shouted, pointing a finger toward the doorway.

Josh stood under the spray of hot water, formulating a plan to get rid of his rival. He hadn’t given Mark’s presence in Lexi’s life much credence until he’d walked into her kitchen and saw him making breakfast for her. He realized how easy it would be for another man to fill the role of her casual lover. He would take her out to dinner, make love to her, spend the night, and fall in love with her over an intimate breakfast in bed. He couldn’t let that happen.

It was obvious Lexi liked the guy, was beginning to trust him with secrets it had taken her years to divulge to him. Did that speak of a connection that went deeper than the bond she shared with him? He thumped his head against the porcelain wall tile. He hated this. The insecurity, uncertainty, confusion. He loved her. If he had his way, he would slip a ring on her finger so the world would know how he felt about her, but she still didn’t want the kind of relationship he offered. Perhaps she never would, and that left him right back where he’d started.

He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist as his cell phone rang. He checked the caller I.D. before picking it up. “Hey, Marisa, what’s up?”

“I was about to ask you the same question. What went down there last night?”

Josh wrapped a towel around his neck and dried his hair and face. “What do you mean?”

She giggled. “Are you and Mark playing nice?”

He turned away from the mirror and leaned against the edge of the counter. “If you’re asking me if I’ve kicked the guy’s ass, the answer would be no.”

“I guess that’s a good thing. I don’t think beating up Lexi’s new boyfriend would help you win her over.”

He clenched his teeth, forcing the words out. “He’s not her boyfriend.”

She laughed. “Maybe not yet, but he’s definitely vying for the title.”

He sank into a vanity chair in front of the small make-up table. “What do you know about it?”

“I had a little chat with Lexi’s new friend last night. That man is definitely into her, Josh.” 

Josh raked his fingers through his damp hair. “How do you know? He told you?”

“Yeah. He said he knows Lexi isn’t into anything serious right now and he’s cool with that.”

“Really?” A guy who was willing to give her the kind of relationship she claimed to want would make this battle more challenging. Not that he was one to back down from a challenge.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’d say he may be just the kind of guy Lexi’s looking for right now.”

He rubbed his temples with his thumb and index finger. “You’re right, not what I want to hear.”

“Sorry, just wanted to give you a heads up. Will you keep me posted?”

“Sure.”

“Make sure you keep her safe, Josh.”

“You can count on it, hon.”

Lexi watched Mark stacking her plate with bacon, eggs, and toast. He poured orange juice into two small glasses and set them on the table.

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble, Mark.”

He pulled her chair out and waited for her to sit down before tucking it in. “You know breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

She laughed as she spread her napkin across her lap. He was a good man. Kind, responsible, dependable. He would make some woman a wonderful husband one day, but there was no sense pretending she might be that woman. “I want to thank you for coming all the way out here. You went above and beyond the call of friendship.”

He claimed the chair next to her. “What if I told you I didn’t do this because I want to be your friend, Lexi?” 

She took a drink of coffee, stalling for time. She knew where this conversation was going and she hated that she had to disappoint him, but she couldn’t allow him to believe they could be more than friends. “I think you’re a great guy...”

He placed his hand over hers and looked into her eyes. “I know you’ve been through a lot. I get that. I’m not trying to force you into a relationship before you’re ready, but I’m just asking you to consider the possibility.”

“I told you, I’m not into commitment. Kids, marriage, it’s just not for me, Mark. Not now and not in the future. I’m not going to change my mind about that.” She looked at their joined hands before looking at him.  

“What if I told you I thought I could live with that?”

She smiled. “I would think you were lying to yourself.” She squeezed his hand. “You practically lit up when you talked to me about your nieces and nephews. I can tell how much you want a family of your own.”