Page 62 of Cupcake of the Month
Jordan greeted him with her mouth and body when he walked through the door, pulling him down for a kiss.
“Make me an honest woman and put your keys next to the microwave,” she said.
After he complied, she led him to the recliner and snuggled on his lap. “I wanted a minute alone with you before you left. I’m sure you have a ton of things to do today.”
Her feminine scent tickled his nose and he inhaled deep, imprinting the moment in his memory. He stroked her hair, letting the satin strands flow between his fingers as he held back the need that vibrated within him to cherish her, savor her body, show her the tenderness that had been absent last night.
“I’ll miss you.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll miss this.” He skimmed her jawline with one finger, sending shivers over her skin, then replaced his touch with his mouth in a sweet, tender kiss.
“And I’ll miss this.” He hugged her close. “Just being with you, Jordan.”
“It’s only for a couple of days.” She rested her head on his shoulder.
He was content to hold her, with her warm and alive in his arms. Too soon, he pressed a kiss against her forehead and stood up.
“I have to go.” He channeled his desire by smoothing a thumb across the soft skin of her cheek. He grabbed his keys and forced himself to leave the stables.
First stop was his post office box, which was thankfully empty. Next he stopped at the grocery store for pasta and vegetables, planning to scour the online job listings and apply for more sous chef positions that afternoon. With this additional experience at Fountenoy Hall, maybe one of the restaurants would hire him.
For once Berry didn’t poke his head into the hallway when Josh passed through the front door. He’d gotten so used to seeing the building’s unofficial watch dog that his absence felt weird. The man was probably doing repairs somewhere on the premises.
Josh climbed the steps to his apartment and paused outside, hearing the steady staccato of someone using the punching bag. He opened the door to see Zach beating the shit out of it, his hands covered, his muscles tight, his lips compressed in a thin line.
Berry sat at the kitchen table. An opened envelope and letter lay in front of him, decorated with Marian’s swirling handwriting. A heavy dread settled in his stomach, and pin-prickchills crawled over his skin and his face. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.
“Hey, guys,” he said, feigning the casual. “Berry, what are you doing here? Did something break?”
“Zach needed company,” Berry said, his fingers flicking to the letter.
“Yeah, okay. Thanks for coming up.” Josh swallowed around the tightness in his throat and put the waffle and vegetables in the fridge. He unpacked the remaining groceries, waiting for someone to say something. Anything.
Berry gave Josh a sympathetic smile, then patted him on the back and left the apartment.
Zach stopped punching and turn toward Josh. His blue eyes, so much like Josh’s own, blazed with anger and betrayal.
Shit.
Josh picked up the envelope on the table, giving it a casual glance. No return address. Of course. “What’s this?”
“A letter from Mom,” Zach said. His voice trembled.
“From Mom? Wow.” He forced cheer into his voice. “This is great.”
Josh took the vacated chair and smoothed out the paper, buying time while his mind raced. Play it off like this was the first and only. Read it fast to see if Marian mentioned other letters. Or, damn it all, stop being a selfish coward tell the truth. Come clean and confess to Zach what he’d done.
And shit, there it was, on the second line:Things have changed since our last few letters.
He wiped his palms down the thighs of his jeans. Could this get any worse?
Never mind. Josh didn’t want to know the answer.
Zach knocked his hands together, the gloves making a dull thud, before attacking the punching bag again. Fat tears fell from his eyes. “You kept them from me, Josh. How could you?”
Each tear was an arrow piercing Josh’s skin. He had falleninto a trap of privilege when his mom married Clint, not realizing how they got their money until investigators came knocking at his apartment. Josh resisted at first, unable to believe what he was hearing, but eventually ratted out his mom, getting her and his stepdad arrested. How could he tell this to Zach?
“I’m sorry, buddy,” Josh said. “I know this has been rough on you.”
Zach answered with a scathing glance and went back to punching the bag.
