Page 60 of Home Town

“Why not?” Corey repeated her again. He seemed to do that a lot. “Because you didn’t tell your brother or your best friend and we haven’t even told my own mother yet, but you trust some slick stranger with this information?”

“First, we were going to tell your mother. We got interrupted. Second, Xander is not a stranger, but even if he were, who is he going to tell?”

Nearly apoplectic, Corey seemed unable to form complete words.

While he still wrestled to regain the power of speech, Josie said, “Xander had a very good idea. If you’d listen to me, I’ll tell you.”

When he remained silent, arms crossed angrily, mouth set firm, lips screwed up in an unhappy line, she continued.

“He thinks we should go to Mrs. Forester. Privately. Just the two of us—with the evidence. Show it to her and give her the opportunity of returning it to us, to be put back in the archive. In exchange, we keep quiet. No one will ever know she had a huge lapse in judgement. She gets to save face. We get the compass back. Win-win.”

Corey’s expression got even darker.

Frowning, she asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t you think that’s a good idea?”

It seemed perfect to her—if Forester agreed, which Xander was sure she would.

It saved them having to ruin Corey’s mom’s opinion of her friend. Marie Jacobs, the committee, and the town would remain happily ignorant. And once the compass was safely locked away again she could actually devote one hundred percent of her time and attention to planning the event.

“Yes, it’s a good idea.” Corey pouted, mouth pulled to the side unhappily, like a child told he had to eat his vegetables.

“Then what’s the puss face for?”

“I don’t like how this city dude swooped in here and with the snap of his fingers, solved all the problems we’ve been working to fix for days.”

Wow. The bigger they were, the harder they fell.

Corey’s ego obviously needed some stroking. Other parts of him could probably use some stroking as well. Come to think of it, parts of her could do with a bit of that too.

Now that the stress had been lifted, she was more than ready for a continuation of last night’s activities.

Putting her glass down, she stood and walked toward him in the chair. He watched as she knelt in front of him, between his bent knees.

With her palms resting on his thighs, she raised her gaze to his and saw his eyes darken with desire.

“Maybe I could do something to help you forget about Xander?” she said and dropped her glance suggestively to his crotch.

He drew in a breath but didn’t argue when she reached for the waistband of the shorts he wore.

When she reached inside his boxer briefs and began to pull out the already hardening length, he said, “Here?”

She lifted one shoulder. “Quinn and Bailey are still in the city.”

Before he could say anything else, she lowered her mouth over him and heard the hiss of his intake of breath.

Guessing the argument over here versus not here was over, she began to make him forget. About Xander. About the compass. Even about Mrs. Forester and their impending confrontation.

It was working pretty well too, she thought, until the front door opened.

There was no time to react before she heard Quinn’s, “Josie! Jeezus.”

That was followed by Bailey’s giggle.

Okay, maybe the next time Corey asked that question the answer should be not here.

The next time…

They wouldn’t have that many more next times left before Corey went back to the military.

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