Her shoulders lifted in a nonchalant shrug. “I didn’t think selling my house was any of your concern.”

Not any of his concern? Her sharp-edged comment hit below the belt, prompting a fury that boiled just beneath the surface of his skin-until he recognized her defense tactic. Enough words, he wanted to see her eyes. They’d never lied to him before. “Dammit, Paige, look at me.”

She turned around, chin up, her auburn hair swinging sassily along her shoulders with the defiant movement. Vibrant green eyes glared in reply to his gruff command, but there was something else beyond the anger, a heart-deep misery he’d seen too many times in the past to dismiss. An emotion that never failed to make his protective instincts come alive.

This tense moment was no different, but as much as he wanted to reach out and touch her, he knew she wouldn’t welcome the connection. He wanted answers, needed to know her reasons for making such a crucial decision that affected both of their lives, possibly even their future together. He had to know what her intentions were.

Treading cautiously, he said quietly, “Why are you selling the house?”

“You have to ask, after everything that’s happened the past week?” Her tone was high-pitched and incredulous. Before he could respond, she continued, “Not only does this place now make me feel uncomfortable, but it was always Anthony’s house, never mine. He designed and furnished it before I became part of his life.” She dragged her hand through her hair, pushing it away from her face. Her eyes looked huge, her features weary. “And it’s too big for one person. The upkeep is more than I need right now.”

Relief coursed through him. Her rationalization made perfect sense, of course. He’d read too much into the sign out front, had reacted without knowing the facts, which wasn’t like him at all. “I’d be more than happy to help you find something else. Maybe a nice condo that’s closer to the Wild Rose.”

“Josh…” Looking away again, she dampened her bottom lip with her tongue, and continued on a rush of breath, “I put the Wild Rose up for sale, too.”

Josh’s entire universe shifted, and his heart slammed painfully against his ribs. He didn’t like where this conversation was heading, or what her decisions implied. He kept a casual attitude, though he was feeling anything but. “Why would you want to sell the Wild Rose? Your shop is one of the most successful boutiques on Harding Avenue.”

“Yeah, it’s done quite well in the two years I’ve had it,” she agreed, a small, satisfied smile playing around the corners of her mouth. “And it helped me keep my sanity. Without it, I would have gone crazy with boredom. But like my marriage to Anthony, the Wild Rose is a piece of my life I’d rather put behind me. I’ve lived, I’ve learned, and as soon as this case of yours is over, I’m moving on, a wiser person,” she said, reciting her father’s quote. Lifting her glass of wine from the counter, she headed out of the kitchen and through the living room, putting an end to their conversation.

Standing there in the silence, he thought about all she’d said, and what she hadn’t said. Deciding he wasn’t going to let the subject drop so easily, not when he didn’t have a firm grasp on her intentions, he stalked after her. Ignoring the closed bedroom door, he barged into her room unannounced.

She stood by the dresser. She’d just kicked off her heels and was in the process of unbuttoning the front of her dress. Visibly startled by his bold intrusion, she gasped, then scowled at him. “Do you mind, Josh? I’d like a little privacy.”

“Oh, I mind all right,” he murmured as he moved toward her, his gaze riveted to the five buttons she’d opened, low enough to reveal the scalloped edges of a lacy bra, and the firm upper slopes of her breasts. He forced himself to drag his eyes from that enticement before he forgot his purpose for seeking her out. “You walked away before we were done talking.”

She watched him invade her room, wariness glimmering in the depths of her eyes. “There’s not a whole lot left to say.”

He stopped an arm’s length away and saw the pulse at the base of her throat flutter nervously. “You left out a little detail.”

“Oh?” A delicate brow arched. “And what was that?” She took a subtle step to the side, as if he stood too close, crowding her personal space. As if she wanted clearance to bolt…

He wasn’t about to give her the chance. Calculating her next move, he shifted the weight of his body accordingly, letting her know without words that there would be no escaping him, or their conversation.

“Moving on to where, Paige?” His voice was soft, de ceptively so.

Since she couldn’t dart around him, she turned away hiding her expression and those luminous eyes that radiated her deepest emotions. Slipping off the bracele made of incandescent beads that complemented the color of her dress, she set it on the dresser, then re moved the matching earrings. Very quietly, she said “I’ve decided to move back home to Connecticut, so can be near my family.”

Outwardly, Josh accepted her bombshell with admi- rable calm. Inwardly, however, panic spread through him, sending his pulse racing.

He didn’t want to lose Paige!

But you never really had her, the rational part of his mind argued. Even though his feelings for her had de- veloped into something stronger and deeper thai friendship, they’d made no personal commitment to each other, nothing to indicate they had any kind of future together. All they had was one incredible night on passion…

He grasped for leverage, focusing on the one thing that would drastically change both of their lives. “And what if you’re pregnant with my baby?”

She whirled around, startled, eyes wide. Her hand fluttered to her flat belly, and when she realized what she’d done, she quickly jerked it away. “I’m not preg nant,” she said firmly.

“Oh?” His tone challenged. “Have you started your period?”

She hesitated, but in the end couldn’t lie. “Not yet.”

“The day after we made love you said you were due to start soon.” He studied her intently. “Are you regular?”

Her face flushed, whether in embarrassment or annoyance at his persistence, he wasn’t sure. “I haven’t been regular since I went off the Pill when Anthony died,” she admitted. “But I know my body, and I’m not pregnant.”

He wondered who she was trying to convince-him or herself.

She moved past him, while he digested what she’d just told him. She opened the glass slider leading to the deck that wrapped around the house, leaving the screen door locked and secured. A cool evening breeze blew in, circulating fresh air through the room. The low rumbling of waves breaking along the shore echoed in the distance, the sound tranquil and soothing.

He came up beside her, his mood calmer than before. He’d gotten most of the answers he’d wanted, but another still niggled, and he voiced it. “You were on the Pill while you were married?”

She glanced at him, a droll smile lifting one corner of her mouth. “That’s not something a woman broadcasts, Marchiano, even to a good friend.”

He shook his head, realizing she’d misconstrued his meaning. “You talked about having kids and a family, and I just assumed you would have welcomed a pregnancy.”

“I’m afraid that was wishful thinking on my part. During our first year of marriage a huge part of me thought a baby would make Anthony settle down, make him less reckless…” Her voice trailed off. After a moment, her gaze flickered to his, her expression etched with the same unhappiness that had shadowed the last two years of her marriage. “About nine months after we married, Anthony insisted I go on the Pill. He claimed he wasn’t ready for kids and he didn’t want to risk an ‘accident.’ Looking back, going on the Pill was a blessing in disguise, considering the life-style Anthony led outside of our marriage. I’m grateful I don’t have children to worry about right now, and I sure as heck wouldn’t want to have to explain that their father was a criminal.”

A light gust filtered through the screen, sifting through her hair and tugging gently at the light material of her dress, molding the fabric to her curves. Josh envied that clinging dress, wished it were his hands shaping her firm, generous breasts, skimming over the swell of her hips, grazing the length of her slender thighs…

“What about the possibility of having my baby?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

“That would only complicate matters, Josh.” She released an agitated sigh and paced back into the bedroom. “I’m leaving as soon as things are wrapped up here in Miami. I miss my family, and I miss the simplicity of a small town. It’s where I belong. It’s where I’ve always belonged.” She abruptly stopped beside her four-poster bed, imploring him to understand. “I’m not cut out for the city, the crime, or being a cop’s wife. If I was too naive to know that when I married Anthony, I certainly realize it now.”

Josh felt that an integral part of his life was crumbling right before his eyes. “Maybe you just need more time before you make a big decision like this,” he suggested, anything to buy time for her to reconsider her options. Options that included him being a part of her life. Options that didn’t include her moving to another state. “It’s only been three months since Anthony died. I know how difficult things have been lately, especially this past week-”

“My mind is made up, Josh,” she said adamantly, exercising that stubborn streak he both admired and disliked at the moment. “There’s nothing left for me here but bad memories.”

Fast as lightning, he shot back, “Am I nothing but a bad memory?”

His blunt question startled her. Then her gaze softened and she reached out and pressed her hand to his cheek, her touch warm and infinitely gentle. “You, Josh, have become one of my best friends, and I care for you more than you’ll ever know,” she whispered in a tight, aching voice. “I honestly don’t know what I would have done without you these past three years.”