her on this beautiful summer night. But this was nothing new. In fact, she'd become accustomed to the way he would intrude on her thoughts no matter the time of day or night.
Some of the statements he'd made all those days ago at the pool continued to haunt her. Something about what he'd said wasn't right. If the situation were different, she might have been able to ask him some questions. She wished she could talk to him and quell her confusion.
Joshua , she imagined herself saying, what did you mean when you said –
"Cassie?"
She gasped, and swinging her gaze up and around, she found herself looking into Joshua's inquiring gaze.
"J-Joshua..." She stumbled over his name, feeling flustered and unprepared. Glancing at her wristwatch, then up at him, she continued in a rush. "I meant to be in before you got–" She choked off the rest of the sentence. "I mean..."
He lifted his hand. "You didn't lose track of time," he said, his tone gentle and understanding. "I know you've been hiding from me. That's why I made it home a little early tonight. I wanted to catch you before you went up to your room and shut me out."
The fact that he knew she'd been avoiding him made her flush with heated embarrassment and she was grateful for the shadows cast by the old oak tree.
"I want to talk to you," he said. "May I?"
He indicated the space on the seat next to her.
She nodded her assent, it was the only mannerly thing to do, and when he joined her, she immediately noticed just how small the wrought-iron bench was. He rested one ankle on the knee of his other leg.
They sat in silence, and as the seconds ticked by, Cassie's stomach knotted tighter and tighter. His cologne smelled so good, and the urge to look at him was too damned strong.
"It's a beautiful night. The moon looks so close… we could almost touch it. Don't you think?"
His voice had that husky quality that she remembered so well. The same mesmerizing one he'd used during The Experiment . The tone that had her melting in his arms. Alarm bells clanged in her head.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked stiffly.
"Cassie." He smiled and then chuckled softly. "I love the sound of your name."
"Joshua, please."
"Why won't you–"
"Joshua." The crispness of her voice thoroughly severed his question. She twisted to face him. "I am Andy's nanny. Did you need to talk to me about your son?"
"Well, that's one of the subjects I'd like to discuss."
"Fine," she said. "What is it you'd like to know?"
He, too, turned on the small seat. His knee brushed her thigh and he placed both feet on the ground to give her more room.
"You've been here for almost a month," he began. "How are things going? With Andrew and Eric, I mean."
"Those boys act like they've known each other all their lives," she said. "They get along so well it's almost scary."
"That's good." He tilted his head a fraction. "Isn't it?"
She nodded silently.
There was a moment of silence and the tension once again hummed like a live wire.
He studied her for several long seconds before asking, "And how are you liking the job?"
She couldn't help but smile. "I love it," she answered quietly. "Andy's a wonderful little boy. He's very..." She hesitated, searching for just the right word. "Studious. He reads lots of books and has a lot of different interests. Eric just loves looking at his coin collection."
While she talked, he lifted his arm and rested his elbow on the seat back, which left his hand dangling a fraction of an inch from her upper arm. She could feel the heat of his body. Every little movement sent the intoxicating aroma of his cologne wafting toward her, and she fought the impulse to pull great quantities of it into her lungs. The magnetism she felt was strong, nearly a tangible thing, like dozens of tiny strings pulling and tugging at her. Lord, but it frightened her.
"I've been so busy," he told her. "I feel as though I haven't spent much time with my son lately."
"And you should," she
Some of the statements he'd made all those days ago at the pool continued to haunt her. Something about what he'd said wasn't right. If the situation were different, she might have been able to ask him some questions. She wished she could talk to him and quell her confusion.
Joshua , she imagined herself saying, what did you mean when you said –
"Cassie?"
She gasped, and swinging her gaze up and around, she found herself looking into Joshua's inquiring gaze.
"J-Joshua..." She stumbled over his name, feeling flustered and unprepared. Glancing at her wristwatch, then up at him, she continued in a rush. "I meant to be in before you got–" She choked off the rest of the sentence. "I mean..."
He lifted his hand. "You didn't lose track of time," he said, his tone gentle and understanding. "I know you've been hiding from me. That's why I made it home a little early tonight. I wanted to catch you before you went up to your room and shut me out."
The fact that he knew she'd been avoiding him made her flush with heated embarrassment and she was grateful for the shadows cast by the old oak tree.
"I want to talk to you," he said. "May I?"
He indicated the space on the seat next to her.
She nodded her assent, it was the only mannerly thing to do, and when he joined her, she immediately noticed just how small the wrought-iron bench was. He rested one ankle on the knee of his other leg.
They sat in silence, and as the seconds ticked by, Cassie's stomach knotted tighter and tighter. His cologne smelled so good, and the urge to look at him was too damned strong.
"It's a beautiful night. The moon looks so close… we could almost touch it. Don't you think?"
His voice had that husky quality that she remembered so well. The same mesmerizing one he'd used during The Experiment . The tone that had her melting in his arms. Alarm bells clanged in her head.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked stiffly.
"Cassie." He smiled and then chuckled softly. "I love the sound of your name."
"Joshua, please."
"Why won't you–"
"Joshua." The crispness of her voice thoroughly severed his question. She twisted to face him. "I am Andy's nanny. Did you need to talk to me about your son?"
"Well, that's one of the subjects I'd like to discuss."
"Fine," she said. "What is it you'd like to know?"
He, too, turned on the small seat. His knee brushed her thigh and he placed both feet on the ground to give her more room.
"You've been here for almost a month," he began. "How are things going? With Andrew and Eric, I mean."
"Those boys act like they've known each other all their lives," she said. "They get along so well it's almost scary."
"That's good." He tilted his head a fraction. "Isn't it?"
She nodded silently.
There was a moment of silence and the tension once again hummed like a live wire.
He studied her for several long seconds before asking, "And how are you liking the job?"
She couldn't help but smile. "I love it," she answered quietly. "Andy's a wonderful little boy. He's very..." She hesitated, searching for just the right word. "Studious. He reads lots of books and has a lot of different interests. Eric just loves looking at his coin collection."
While she talked, he lifted his arm and rested his elbow on the seat back, which left his hand dangling a fraction of an inch from her upper arm. She could feel the heat of his body. Every little movement sent the intoxicating aroma of his cologne wafting toward her, and she fought the impulse to pull great quantities of it into her lungs. The magnetism she felt was strong, nearly a tangible thing, like dozens of tiny strings pulling and tugging at her. Lord, but it frightened her.
"I've been so busy," he told her. "I feel as though I haven't spent much time with my son lately."
"And you should," she
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