Page 34 of Stars Shine In Your Eyes

Malcolm scoffed at that. “How on earth could anyone not know that the guy they’re seeing is married?”

Josie voice was barely above a whisper as she said, “I didn’t.”

Malcolm gawked at her, clearly stunned by what she’d said. “You were with a married man?”

Her mouth had gone completely dry. This was why she hadn’t wanted to say anything to him about it. She hadn’t wanted him to judge her.

“I didn’t know,” she said in a hoarse voice. “I swear I didn’t know. I thought I was in love with a good man. He’d even started talking about marriage.” How her chest burned to even repeat those lying words. “And then one day, a woman showed up at my door, carrying their baby. She was his wife. So, yes, I think it’s possible that Lewis’s mistress doesn’t know he’s married.” She felt cold all over, just remembering. “If I could undo every moment I spent with him, believe me, I would. I never intended to hurt anyone. And I’ll never stop hating him for all the lies he told me. Every single word was a lie.”

Malcolm was silent for a long moment, and she knew that he was disgusted by her now.

“It wasn’t your fault, Josie. It was his fault. All of it.” His voice rumbled in his chest.

“I should have known. You’re right. I should’ve seen the signs.” The words of self-blame came from her throat before she could stop them. She couldn’t forgive herself. Not yet.

“No. You’ve made me see how judgmental I was being to a woman I know nothing about. How could you have known a man you trusted was lying to you? If he’s anything like Lewis, he’s a master of deception. Probably thrived on the lies. Maybe he got extra kicks knowing that you believed every single lie he told you. That’s what guys like that are all about. Who they can fool. Who they can cheat.”

“Then why was I ever even drawn to him? Because now I can look back and see what you’re seeing. What he was really like. Shouldn’t I have been able to cut through his lies?”

“Never underestimate the charm of a snake. Some of the most charming people I’ve ever met have had the blackest souls,” Malcolm said.

“You’re charming,” Josie said.

He laughed suddenly. “I was like a bear with porcupine quills stuck in his paws when I picked you up at the airport. You call that charming?”

“Okay, so maybe you weren’t then, but you can be really charming. But I don’t get the sense that your soul is black.”

“In high school, my soul was pretty damn black. But that wasn’t the man my parents raised. And it’s not the man I want to look at in the mirror.” He reached out and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry you were treated so poorly by your scumbag ex. But you have to know it’s no reflection on you.”

“It’s nice of you to say that.”

“I’m not just saying it, Josie. I’ve spent two days with you, and what I know to be true after those two days is that you don’t have a mean, bad bone in your body.”

She didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know what to do when it seemed that at any moment he might kiss her again. And she wanted it.

Then he said, “Let’s see what absolutely has to be done to make the entrance look welcoming.”

He walked away to stand outside the smallest cottage. She was still trying to get her thoughts straight when all of a sudden, she heard a crack. One of the very heavy roof tiles made of slate was falling straight toward Malcolm’s head.

“Malcolm, watch out!” Moving fast, she tackled him, pushing him out of the way. Both of them tumbled into the dirt just beyond the stone steps of the cottage. The slate shattered, the chips of stone clipping the very edges of her pants and his.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “I didn’t mean to knock you over like that.”

“Thank you.” He put his hands on either side of her face. “That was quick thinking,” he said, his low voice rumbling all the way through her, his hard, muscled body warm and strong beneath her as she still lay atop him. “If you hadn’t acted so quickly, it could have gone a lot worse. Did it hit you?”

She shook her head, unable to move away from him, loving the feel of his hands on her skin. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. And then shifted back up to his eyes, which she swore were smoldering now.

“I’m all right,” she said.

They got up, and he said, “Right, first thing we’ll do is get the roof looked at and make sure nobody gets hit by a falling slate.” He glanced around. “Some of this rock wall is crumbling, and the stone steps could be made safer. I can do that. In fact, I’d enjoy it.”

* * *

Looking down at her, even while he mouthed inanities, Malcolm wanted to tear Josie’s ex apart with his bare hands. Teach him a lesson and make him pay for what he’d done to her, for the way he’d hurt her. But more than anything else, right now all he wanted was to kiss her again.

He couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward, giving her lots of time to pull away, but she didn’t. Instead, her eyes widened, and her lips parted in clear invitation. He leaned in slowly, breathing in her vanilla scent, watching her eyes flutter closed, and then his lips were on hers.

This warmth was more than simple lust. He pulled her hard against his body and deepened the kiss, hearing a little moan of pleasure in her throat as she threw her arms around him and kissed him back with everything she had. It was a long time before they pulled apart, and he felt shaken by the deep emotion he felt.

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