Page 22 of Temptation at His Door

She so wanted his lips on hers again, his tongue in her mouth.

“Ju. All good? Are the kids asleep?”

Joa, jerked out of her sexual haze by the casual use of her name, just nodded. She cleared her throat and tried to be the adult she was reputed to be. “All good, and yeah, they are fast asleep.”

“Any problems?” Ronan asked.

Strangely, there hadn’t been. The boys had been remarkably accepting of her presence in their house.

Ronan pushed his hand through his hair. “I’m just going to check on my kids and then we can have a drink.”

Dare shook his head. “Keely and I were just leaving, Ronan. We popped around to give Joa a heads-up about an upcoming change to her circumstances.”

Ronan shot her a concerned look. “Problem?”

Joa quickly shook her head. “No, nothing insurmountable.” She walked over to the coatrack and picked Keely’s coat off the hook, pushing it into her sister’s arms.

“When do you leave for Florida?” she asked, keeping one eye on Ronan’s back as he jogged up the stairs.

“Not for a day or two,” Keely said. “I’ll be going back and forward for the next couple of months. But I’ll catch up with you in the morning and we can talk.”

“Sure,” Joa replied. She looked up, and up, into Dare’s face. “Thanks for stopping by, Dare. When Keely gets back from Florida, you should come for dinner.”

“I’d like that, thank you.” Dare bent down to kiss her cheek. Keeping his head close to hers, he dropped his voice but not enough to keep his words from reaching Keely. Which was, Joa realized, his intention. “But, please, can you cook? I’m terrified Killer will slip something into my food.”

“It’s a distinct possibility,” Keely said, pulling on her gloves. “Especially if you keep using that stupid nickname.”

Joa shut the door behind them, leaving them to bicker. She looked at Ronan’s suitcase and laptop bag and sent an anxious glance up the stairs. He was home, so she should head back to Mounton House.

Ronan’s footsteps on the stairs had her looking up and she immediately noticed he’d changed into straight-legged track pants and a tight-fitting Henley, sleeves pushed up his strong forearms. Instead of six-hundred-dollar loafers, he wore thick socks.

This was what he’d look like on a normal night at home, a man at ease in his space. For the rest of her life, she’d remember him looking like this, sexy and rumpled and a little stressed.

Before she could say anything, Ronan’s phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. Joa was surprised when he placed it on speakerphone.

“Hey, Carrick. How’s London?”

“Wet, as always. I had a meeting with Beah this afternoon.”

Now that was a name she hadn’t heard in a while. Beah, she remembered, was Finn Murphy’s ex-wife but she was also one of Keely’s closest friends. She also, if she could trust her memory, worked for Murphy International out of their London offices.

“Everything okay?” Ronan asked Carrick.

“Sure. I had some time earlier so I went through Isabel’s inventory with Beah and she has a fair idea of which art collectors will be interested in the Mounton sale.”

“Thanks. That takes some pressure off me.”

“Is Beah still joining you and Finn for dinner with Cummings?” Ronan asked.

“Mmm. Hopefully it won’t be as awkward as I’m imagining it to be.”

“Um...have you seen Sadie at all?” Carrick then asked and to Joa, he sounded, strangely, hesitant. It wasn’t a trait she associated with the Murphy brothers.

Joa’s pulse skyrocketed at Ronan’s smile and the amusement lightening his incredible eyes. “Well, no. Since I’ve been in China for the best part of two days. Why are you asking about our art detective? Do you not have her number?”

“Of course I do. She’s not answering.” Carrick tersely replied.

Ronan grinned at Joa. “Maybe she’s on a date.”

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