Since they were early, Josh hung out for half an hour, passing the time by strolling around the boutique filled with women’s clothing, lingerie and accessories while Paige counted out the cash drawer and readied the shop for the day.

Liz arrived first, surprising Paige by looking exactly like the kind of sophisticated salesperson she herself would have hired for the Wild Rose. The young woman was tall and slender-not at all the muscular type Paige had anticipated-and was dressed immaculately in an outfit that could have been selected from Paige’s own inventory: cream slacks, a rose-hued silk blouse with a light, linen jacket, and fashionable leather pumps. Liz’s rich, sable hair was cut into a short, chic style that emphasized her pretty features and striking blue eyes.

Paige immediately felt comfortable with the other woman, who was friendly and outgoing, despite the grimness of her occupation and the seriousness surrounding her current assignment. When Paige jokingly commented that Liz looked about as intimidating as a butterfly, Josh assured her that Liz was well trained, and one of the best female undercover officers they had in the department.

Pam entered the Wild Rose shortly after Liz, and because she’d been with Paige from the day she’d opened the boutique, and Paige trusted her implicitly, Josh briefed the younger woman on the situation. He skimmed the more dangerous, relevant details he’d shared with Paige, explaining just enough for Pam to understand the need for Paige to be guarded, yet not enough to put her own life at risk for knowing too much.

By the time Josh was ready to leave, Paige was ready to see him go. Her stomach was in knots, and the beginnings of a headache throbbed at her temples. This entire scenario had her feeling cornered, edgy and irritable. She walked with him just outside the boutique, and they stood beneath the awning above the shop.

“I’ve got a lot to take care of today on the case,” Josh said, retrieving her car keys from the front pocket of his black jeans. “I’ll be back at closing time to pick you up.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “So, you’re leaving me here without a vehicle?”

“If you need to go anywhere, Liz will take you. That’s what she’s here for.”

She opened her mouth to issue a mild objection out of pure defiance. At the same moment, he curled a hand around the back of her neck and brought her lips to his He kissed her, taking advantage of her parted lips to boldly slide his tongue inside her mouth. The kiss was quick, but hot, shockingly erotic, and extremely possessive. The emotional impact shook Paige to the core made her melt against him when she knew she should make some attempt to push him away.

He ended the kiss, and she was horrified to hear a whimper of protest purr from her throat. He looked extremely pleased with himself, cocky and arrogant and triumphant.

She straightened away, grasping for her composure “Was that necessary?” she asked primly.

His grin was unapologetic. “Oh, yeah, it was,” he said huskily, unmistakable desire brightening his eyes. “Not only have I had the urge to kiss you the past two days, but to anyone who might be watching, like that nosy lady in the hair shop next door, we look like legitimate lovers.”

She was in trouble, she realized, instinctively knowing that kiss had been more than a charade. It was neant as a reminder of the intimacy they’d shared-one he wasn’t about to let her forget.

He brushed his knuckles down her cheek in a loving caress at odds with the sudden seriousness of his gaze. ‘Now go back inside and be good for Liz.”

The order made her bristle, but she obeyed. There was no point starting an argument with Josh while they had an audience. Without so much as a goodbye, she went back into the boutique and headed to her office to take care of the most important business she had on her agenda. Setting her briefcase on her rolltop oak desk, the opened it and searched for the file she needed.

“So, you finally hooked up with Josh, huh?”

Paige glanced up sharply from her task, watching as Pam entered her office. Other than Josh, Pam was one of he closest friends she had in Miami, though she’d shared very few of her marital problems with the other woman. However, considering that the rare times Pam had met Anthony he’d been hostile, rude and hardly a loving husband, it wouldn’t have been difficult for anyone to deduce that her relationship with Anthony had been strained. But for Pam to make a comment about her and Josh was a little unsettling.

“It’s not what it seems.” Finding the folder she needed, she set her briefcase back on the mauve carpetng beside her desk. “That kiss you witnessed is just a pretense,” she said, striving for a vagueness she didn’t quite feel, not when that breath-stealing embrace still had her heart pumping faster than normal. “Nothing more.”

“Uh-huh,” Pam said, her expression doubtful. “But it didn’t seem like either one of you had to pretend too much.”

“Excuse me?” she croaked, praying that her feelings for Josh hadn’t been so obvious from just a kiss.

Her prayers went unanswered. “There’s always beer something between you and Josh, a rare kind of chemistry you don’t see between two people very often.”

Oh, God. “You know, this is something I’d rather no discuss.” It was bad enough that she was feeling a subtle pressure from Josh; she didn’t need it from Pam, too

“I understand.” Pam smiled and shrugged. “I just thought you’d finally realized that the guy is absolutely crazy about you.”

Paige knew. Her chest burned with the knowledge Oh, Lord, Josh had made his feelings and intentions plain with every touch, every word, every action since the night they’d made love.

He is completely and totally wrong for me, she wanted to explain. He’s a cop, a man more dedicated to his job than he ever could be to me or a family.

But her biggest fears remained lodged in her throat and Pam finally left her office, dosing the door behind her. And because she knew that she had no future with Josh, that to remain in Miami would only cause her more heartache, she flipped open the file folder and searched for the business card she’d tucked in there a few weeks ago.

Then she reached for the phone and forced herself to dial the Realtor’s phone number.

5

JOSH BROUGHT Paige’s Volvo to an abrupt stop in the driveway of her beach house. On some level, he acknowledged that the For Sale sign posted on the front lawn shouldn’t have come as a surprise considering the revelations of the past week, but he was more than a little irritated that she hadn’t thought to share this momentous decision with him.

The woman sitting in the passenger seat next to him stared straight ahead, waiting for him to park the car in the garage, as was their nightly routine. She looked poised and distant, as if putting her house up for sale was nothing out of the ordinary.

His world had ceased being ordinary the night she’d asked him to make love to her. Everything she did, every decision she made, now affected the way his life, his future, would evolve. Apparently, she didn’t feel the same, and that provoked his temper. Her indifference had to be a farce. A woman didn’t give herself to a man the way Paige had so passionately offered herself to him without establishing some kind of emotional bond.

Keeping a tight rein on his darkening mood so he didn’t say or do something he’d regret later, he let the car roll forward into the garage. Before he could shut down the engine, Paige slipped out of the vehicle without a word, her purse and briefcase in hand. She pressed a code on the keypad on the wall that unlocked the door leading into the house and disabled the alarm. With a gentle sway of her hips beneath that coral-hued, straight-line knit dress she wore, she stepped inside, leaving the door open for him to follow.

Blowing out a harsh breath, he exited the car, shut the rolling garage door, and strode into the house in search of Paige. Judging by her hasty retreat, he knew she planned on avoiding him and the inevitable discussion ahead. He’d allowed her to maintain her distance since Monday, hadn’t pressured her the past three days for more than she was willing to give. He’d acted as professional and courteous as his job required, catering to her remote behavior and putting his own needs aside.

Not this time. As he followed the sounds drifting from the kitchen, he discovered he was itching for a confrontation. He wanted answers, and he intended to get them. He wanted to know where he stood with her. The evening wouldn’t end until he found out.

In the kitchen, Paige was pouring herself a glass of wine. It was an evening ritual-one glass of chardonnay, retreating to her bedroom for a long bath and to change, a quiet dinner, about an hour of TV, then bed.

He was tired of the monotony. Tired of avoiding important issues that affected both of their lives. Tired of lying in bed at night beside her-so close, so tempting-yet unable to pull her soft, responsive body beneath his as he longed to.

Tossing the keys onto the counter, he let his frustration get the best of him. “Why didn’t you tell me you listed the house?”

She stiffened at his demanding question, though she didn’t turn around and look at him. With incredibly steady hands, she recorked the bottle of wine, slipped it back into the refrigerator, and returned to the glass she’d left on the counter. “I wasn’t aware that I needed your permission to put the house up for sale.”

He jammed his hands on his hips, not that his fierce stance had much chance of intimidating the woman who stood with her back to him, looking out the kitchen window as she took a sip of wine. “That isn’t what I meant, and you know it,” he said in a low voice.