said without hesitation. "Spend more time with Andy, I mean. He loves you very much. He looks up to you. He's always telling us stories of how you did this or that. Andy is very proud of you."
Joshua's smile made her go all soft and warm inside.
"You'll never know how nice it is to hear that," he replied.
Bolstering herself with a deep breath, she said, "He's been after me to talk to you."
"Oh?"
"Yes." She nodded. "About the list."
"Now, Cassie–"
"He wants to toss a baseball with Eric," she rushed on before he refused to listen altogether. "He's been begging for me to ask you if he could have a baseball mitt. Throwing a ball wouldn't exert him too much. And he's hardly used his medicine at all. I can't see why..."
"Wait, wait."
Joshua only had to lift his fingers a fraction to touch her arm in an effort to quiet her, and it worked.
"Just slow down a minute."
A pulsing heat emanated from the spot where his fingers gently pressed against her arm. She knew she should pull away, but at the same time she also recognized the strong desire to do just the opposite. She would have liked nothing more than to lean toward him– to feel his touch on more than just that one tiny area of her skin.
She glanced down at his hand on her arm and then up into his eyes. As she searched his gaze, her emotions waged a horrific battle inside her. She should be used to this topsy-turvy state, like she'd boarded some wild amusement park ride.
"You're right," he said softly. "Andrew should have one."
"One what?" she asked, realizing instantly how clueless the question sounded. "Oh, yes," she quickly amended. "A mitt."
Damn, why did he always seem to muddle her thinking to the point that she looked like a total idiot?
"I'll have some free time this weekend," he said. "We'll go to the sporting goods store at the mall and pick one up."
"Andy will be happy to spend some time alone with you."
"Oh, but I meant all of us," Joshua said. "Eric will need a new mitt too."
Cassie thought of the worn and tattered glove that she'd purchased for her brother at the charity shop. Then she lowered her gaze.
"But his mitt is just fine," she said awkwardly. The glove really wasn't, but she didn't have the money for an expensive new one.
"But I want to buy him a new one," Joshua insisted.
"Oh, but I couldn't let you–"
"No arguments now." And when she complied, he smiled. "I'm glad that's settled."
His hand closed on her arm and her throat went dry. They fell silent again, and although she forced herself not to look, every nuance of her attention focused on the velvet heat where his skin came into contact with hers.
He slid his fingers upward until his palm rested on the curve of her shoulder. There was no hint of forwardness in the movement. On the contrary, the action conveyed only feelings of warmth and unreserved honesty.
"The issue is settled, right?"
She nodded. "Yes, it's settled. Eric will be very happy." She smiled before adding a whispered, "Thank you for the offer."
"You're welcome," he said in that deep, liquid voice of his. Then his smile broadened.
She realized at that moment that the tension knotting her stomach had eased, and she knew he was working hard at getting her to relax.
It wasn't as though her attraction for him had abated. Oh, no. The pale gray suit he wore accentuated his tanned complexion. His pristine white shirt was a perfect backdrop for the magenta geometric shapes on his tie. The scent of him was enough to make her feel dizzy. Her desire to be touched and kissed by him burned like a bright, hot fire deep down inside her. And she could easily read a mirrored craving in his eyes, but at the same time she could see that he intended to hold his urges at bay. She suspected he'd decided to do so out of respect for her wishes to keep their relationship on a purely professional basis, and she was thankful for his consideration.
Since he seemed determined to contain his ardent feelings, and he also emanated a
Joshua's smile made her go all soft and warm inside.
"You'll never know how nice it is to hear that," he replied.
Bolstering herself with a deep breath, she said, "He's been after me to talk to you."
"Oh?"
"Yes." She nodded. "About the list."
"Now, Cassie–"
"He wants to toss a baseball with Eric," she rushed on before he refused to listen altogether. "He's been begging for me to ask you if he could have a baseball mitt. Throwing a ball wouldn't exert him too much. And he's hardly used his medicine at all. I can't see why..."
"Wait, wait."
Joshua only had to lift his fingers a fraction to touch her arm in an effort to quiet her, and it worked.
"Just slow down a minute."
A pulsing heat emanated from the spot where his fingers gently pressed against her arm. She knew she should pull away, but at the same time she also recognized the strong desire to do just the opposite. She would have liked nothing more than to lean toward him– to feel his touch on more than just that one tiny area of her skin.
She glanced down at his hand on her arm and then up into his eyes. As she searched his gaze, her emotions waged a horrific battle inside her. She should be used to this topsy-turvy state, like she'd boarded some wild amusement park ride.
"You're right," he said softly. "Andrew should have one."
"One what?" she asked, realizing instantly how clueless the question sounded. "Oh, yes," she quickly amended. "A mitt."
Damn, why did he always seem to muddle her thinking to the point that she looked like a total idiot?
"I'll have some free time this weekend," he said. "We'll go to the sporting goods store at the mall and pick one up."
"Andy will be happy to spend some time alone with you."
"Oh, but I meant all of us," Joshua said. "Eric will need a new mitt too."
Cassie thought of the worn and tattered glove that she'd purchased for her brother at the charity shop. Then she lowered her gaze.
"But his mitt is just fine," she said awkwardly. The glove really wasn't, but she didn't have the money for an expensive new one.
"But I want to buy him a new one," Joshua insisted.
"Oh, but I couldn't let you–"
"No arguments now." And when she complied, he smiled. "I'm glad that's settled."
His hand closed on her arm and her throat went dry. They fell silent again, and although she forced herself not to look, every nuance of her attention focused on the velvet heat where his skin came into contact with hers.
He slid his fingers upward until his palm rested on the curve of her shoulder. There was no hint of forwardness in the movement. On the contrary, the action conveyed only feelings of warmth and unreserved honesty.
"The issue is settled, right?"
She nodded. "Yes, it's settled. Eric will be very happy." She smiled before adding a whispered, "Thank you for the offer."
"You're welcome," he said in that deep, liquid voice of his. Then his smile broadened.
She realized at that moment that the tension knotting her stomach had eased, and she knew he was working hard at getting her to relax.
It wasn't as though her attraction for him had abated. Oh, no. The pale gray suit he wore accentuated his tanned complexion. His pristine white shirt was a perfect backdrop for the magenta geometric shapes on his tie. The scent of him was enough to make her feel dizzy. Her desire to be touched and kissed by him burned like a bright, hot fire deep down inside her. And she could easily read a mirrored craving in his eyes, but at the same time she could see that he intended to hold his urges at bay. She suspected he'd decided to do so out of respect for her wishes to keep their relationship on a purely professional basis, and she was thankful for his consideration.
Since he seemed determined to contain his ardent feelings, and he also emanated a
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