Deadly Double (11 page)

Josie’s shoulders slumped with relief; however, guilt soon perched upon them. Given what he’d already done for her, he probably viewed her behavior as a slap in the face.

Time ticked slowly while Josie watched William lift her nightgown. She studied his expression with great intensity when he exposed her bare legs. When there was no reaction, she couldn’t decide on whether she was relieved or disappointed.

She closed her eyes as the material passed her panties and midriff.

“Can you lift your arms for me?” William asked. “Here, just lean back against me, and I’ll help you.”

Josie did as he instructed, and then sucked in a sharp breath at the unexpected surge of electricity when her body pressed against him.

Finally, the gown cleared her head, and, for a fraction of a second, their gazes locked before her hair cascaded like a curtain over her eyes.

When the soft whirl of heat radiating from the bathroom vents kissed her sensitive breasts, it was all she could do not to melt in his arms.

However, there was one last article of clothing yet to be removed.

William’s hand glided like a feather down the curve of her hip as he slipped off her cotton briefs. While the process seemed to take forever, Josie’s eyes fluttered open to see him reveal her triangular nest of black curls.

She managed another weak smile as he helped her sink into the warm water. Thick, scented bubbles surrounded her and covered her nudity. After drawing a deep breath, she sighed and relaxed.

“Ah, this feels good.” She leaned back and discovered an inflated plastic pillow. “I could stay in here forever.”

William looked as if he wanted to say something, but apparently thought better of it. “Let me get you some soap and towels.” He stood up and retrieved everything she needed from the bathroom’s linen closet.

“That should take care of everything.” He clapped and rubbed his hands together as his gaze roamed over everything he’d set by the tub. “Just holler if you need anything else.”

William walked backward toward the door. “Even if you need help with your back or something. I, uh, will just be in the other room.”

She held on to her smile and shook her head as she sank deeper into the tub. Playfully, she lifted a handful of bubbles and blew them into the air.

She stretched a tremor leg above a mountain of bubbles and watched as water and suds slid from her ankle down along her calf. As she reached for the bar of purple soap, Josie noticed the slight muscles in her arm and hand.

All playfulness disappeared while she studied her grip on the soap. The harder she tried to control her tremors, the worse it became.

Out of frustration, she tossed down the soap and cupped her face in her hand.
What in the hell is wrong with me?

Helplessness wasn’t an emotion she’d ever allowed herself to wallow in, but it was one that had visited her often in the past year.

William’s voice floated in from the bedroom. “Are you all right in there?”

She unburied her face and rolled off another lie. “Yes. I…I’m fine.” She wiped at a tear before it had a chance to fall. Somehow she had to muster the strength to win back control of her life. This time when she lifted her shaky hand, anger and determination roared through her veins. Within seconds, her hand steadied.

Triumphant, Josie’s smile returned.

She reclaimed the lavender soap from the bottom of the tub and scrubbed her skin until it tingled. Without a scrub brush, she scooted up to the center of the tub and struggled to reach the middle of her back.

He turned toward the long, L-shaped counter top and pulled open a series of drawers. “Sheila should have something around…aha! Here we go: a monster of a hairclip. It sort of looks like a crab, doesn’t it?” He handed it to her.

“You know me. I don’t like to do things halfway.” He glanced up at the shower caddy. “It looks like Larry and Sheila are an Herbal Essence couple. Will that do?”

“At this point, I’ll take anything. But won’t it be a little difficult to wash my hair while I’m sitting in the tub? It’s not like there’s a whole lot of room in here.”

“How about we finish the bath, and then wash your hair at the sink? There’s a vanity table in the bedroom. We can use the chair for you to sit on.”

His hand dipped into the water, by her calculation a mere inch from her behind, before he placed the soapy towel against her back and washed it in slow, deliberate circles.

Josie’s breath thinned in her lungs.

“I’m experiencing a strong sense of déjà vu,” William said.

The observation was an awkward one. There were numerous times when she and William had shared a shower or bubble bath. All she needed now was for him to climb in and for two flutes of champagne to mysteriously appear.

“I just put my foot in my mouth, didn’t I?” he said at her silence.

“No, it’s okay.” She glanced down at the depleting bubbles and then reached out to pull an armful of them back toward her. “But it was a long time ago.”

William’s hand dipped back into the water, and this time his knuckles brushed against her butt. She gasped and grew still.

He stopped. “Is something wrong?”

Say something and end this torture.
“N-no. I’m fine.” Her words echoed with a strange hollowness. If William noticed, he was kind enough to pretend otherwise. As Josie steeled herself against the pleasure of William’s gentle strokes, a strained silence enveloped the former lovers.

There was no way she was going to tell him the Chinese characters spelled his name. She squeezed her eyes tight and came up with another lie. “Love.”

William washed the back of her neck, between her shoulder blades, and worked a trail down her spine. Everywhere his hand went her skin tingled in its wake, and it was growing harder to pretend to be unaffected.

“Okay. That ought to do it.” He placed the soap in its dish on the accessory deck, dipped the cloth into the water several times, and then rinsed off her back.

However, getting into the tub was nothing compared to getting out, and Josie’s embarrassment deepened at the amount of water she splash. Through it all, he remained gracious.

After successfully being transported to a small wrought-iron chair with her towel draped around her, William set out a robe close to her and gave her a few minutes alone to dry herself and apply the supplied bottles of lotions and creams.

Though William was out of sight, Josie suspected he remained close in case she experienced some sort of episode. She appreciated and hated it at the same time.

She sighed, confused about her mixed emotions. How many years had she wished that their path would cross again? Now, through some truly bizarre happenstance, here he was.

In her dreams, she’d envisioned he would spot her at a CD signing or promotional gig. She would boast about her successful career and her wonderful marriage.

But her life hadn’t gone as planned. Nowhere near it. Because of a series of polyps on her vocal cords, her singing career was over before it really began. After three moderately successful CD releases, Josephine Ferrell’s singing career had ended.

Her music never garnered the big crossover audience in America, but she was close. She was sure of that. And Etienne. She didn’t want to think about it.

“How are we doing in there?” he called out from the bedroom.

“So far so good.” She injected pleasantness into her voice and hurried to finish massaging lotion onto her elbows. A few minutes later, garbed in a large, fluffy robe, Josie gave William the okay to rejoin her.

“All righty, then. Let’s get this thing started.” He flashed her a smile as he entered with a pitcher, and then gathered more towels.

His return immediately wrecked Josie’s calm reserve. In retrospect, he’d always had that effect on her. And she had always enjoyed it.

William positioned her and the chair in front of the sink and gave it enough room so she could comfortably lean her head back over the sink. Since she couldn’t get her entire head under the immobile faucet, William filled the pitcher with water, and then used it to wet the areas that wouldn’t reach.

“Seems like you’ve done this before,” Josie commented. She closed her eyes and loved the feel of his strong fingers as they massaged her scalp.

The sound of his light chuckle washed lazily over her. “I guess you can call me a veteran.”

Josie instantly thought of his wife and as a result ended her feelings of euphoria. “Your wife is a lucky woman,” she said before she could stop herself.

William’s fingers froze for an eternal second and then resumed. “I used to do this with my
ex-wife
. I’m not married anymore.”

“Sorry. I didn’t know.” There was no denying the rush of relief she experienced after his confession, but now a series of questions strolled through her head.

“No way you could’ve, I guess.” He reached for the bottle of shampoo. “It’s been almost two years.”

She detected sorrow in his voice, and a low level of jealousy stirred within her.

They fell silent while his fingers worked up a good lather. It was nearly impossible for Josie to stop her toes from curling or prevent the soft moans from escaping her lips.