“He was stunned. No. Horrified would probably be a better word. Then, once the disbelief subsided, he was angry—I mean, really angry with me.” She swallowed hard and reached into the cupboard for a glass. “Can’t say as I blame him. I was mad that my mom lied about who my father was, but at least I had the chance to meet him and decide for myself how much I wanted John Cawthorne in my life. Josh has no options. I took them away from him.” She flipped on the tap, filled her glass and drank to quench the dryness at the back of her throat.

“You did what you thought was best.” Luke’s voice was low, a balm.

“Yeah, and it blew up in my face.” She lifted her glass. “You want some?”

“Naw, I’m fine.” Getting to his feet, he went to her and wrapped solid arms around her torso. “You can’t beat yourself up for this.”

“Oh, no?” Turning to gaze up at him, she saw the sweet seduction in his eyes, heard his sharp intake of breath as her breasts brushed against his shirt.

“Nope.” His gaze slid down her face. “Besides, we have other problems.”

“Do we?”

“Mmm.” His arms tightened, holding her close, and she was pulled snugly to him, her breasts flattening against his chest, her hips pressed intimately to his. Gazing into her eyes, he lowered his head to hers. “This,” he said, his breath warm against her face, “is a much bigger issue.” His mouth slanted over hers and her blood turned to fire.

So this was the way it would be with him, she realized. Each and every time they touched, passion would ignite. Her arms wound around his neck and he lifted her off her feet. When he started for the stairs, common sense ruled. “We can’t,” she whispered, struggling to get down. “Not with Josh here.”

Luke’s eyes were the color of midnight, but instead of releasing her, he carried her outside, across the moon-washed lawn and up the stairs to the carriage house. “If he wakes up, we’ll know,” he assured her as he kicked open the door and crossed the hardwood floor to the bedroom. He paused long enough to flip the lock behind him, then laid her on the bed and kissed her as if he would never stop.

* * *

“So I thought we could have lunch and catch up,” Bliss suggested a few days later. Katie, working at the office, balanced the receiver between her shoulder and ear.