Holding The Cards by Joey W. Hill Page A

and get ready for bed. Just leave the kitchen, I'll take care of it tomorrow."
    "No, don't worry about it, I'll do it, since I didn't have to cook," Marcus waved a hand at her. "Josh'll make sure you get to the bedroom safely."
    "Oh, you don't need to —"
    "I'm sure, but you'll agree it would be good for you to have an arm to grab if you lose your balance," he advised, taking her glass from her hand and giving her a wink. "Darling, if you have two men at your beck and call, do I really have to tell you to take advantage of them?"
    "Well, I'm sure the two of you had more important things to do with your day than to rescue a crazy naked woman from a tree."
    The two of them exchanged a look. "I can't think of a thing more important than that," Josh grinned. He rose and came to her side, scooping her up in his capable arms. "I like carrying you," he confessed before she could protest. "I haven't…" he stopped, and regret passed across his face, but he finished the thought. "I haven't had the chance to take care of a woman in awhile."
    "And you like that?" she asked.
    "I need that," he said simply.

Chapter 8
Page 37

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    Josh carried her down the hall, being careful not to let her feet hit the wall as he turned the corner.
    Lisette's bedroom was as welcoming as the rest of the house, dominated by a bed with a wrought iron headboard, sculpted with a design of leaves and branches that brought to mind the forest that surrounded the house. The quilted spread and plethora of tapestry pillows made it into a nest, an impression furthered by soft green Berber carpet, natural wood panels covering the walls and the lack of windows in the room. As in every other part of the house, the clay and wood offerings of her artistic neighbors created an intriguing journey for the eye. The lighting was purposefully kept dim to enhance the effect of a place to escape and put the heart and mind at ease. Lisette, with her infallible sense of wit, called it The Womb.
    "I'll just leave you here," Josh crossed the carpet and turned on the light in the bathroom with a dip and slight upward jerk of his elbow. She could see the spacious bath with its sunken Jacuzzi tub, surrounded by porcelain, silk flowers and stone fountains.
    Josh sat her down at the vanity and turned a brass handle on the Jacuzzi controls. It brought the fountains to life, the hot water flowing over their rock foundations and through brass sculptures to give the fairies and butterflies carved into their design life, with artful placement of light and its reflection off the moving water.
    "Do you need me to bring you anything?" He nodded toward the fountains. "They'll fill up the tub in a few minutes, and you can use that control to turn the flow of the water into the separate channel drain, so the fountains will keep going but the tub won't overflow. It's programmed for 106 degrees."
    "Really?" Lauren raised a brow. "And how would you know so much about how Lisette's tub works?"
    Josh chuckled. "Get serious. I'm the one who programmed it for her. You know she can't even operate a blender without supervision."
    Lauren grinned. "I know. But I was hoping to get a rise out of you."
    "Believe me, you've done that more than once tonight." His eyes clouded. "I'm sure you know it."
    Lauren's brows drew together on her forehead. "Josh, I'm sorry. I'm not…I mean…” She sighed as the tension in his jaw eased into impassivity, and she felt something slipping away. She almost lunged after it, scrabbling like a starving dog for a scrap, but she'd been in that hell before and knew where it went. "I've had fun tonight," she said, her fingers knotted, restrained in her lap. "But it wasn't at your expense. I just haven't enjoyed someone's company…just enjoyed, for awhile. And Marcus made it sound so easy to trust, like we've been doing. I guess, …” Her words died, "I guess I wanted to believe…" She didn't seem