Her hopes were dashed as she waited at the staff assembly point. A small fire had started elsewhere in the building and the fire department had said it would be some time before they’d be letting everyone back in. The news was met with groans of dismay as most people would have to wait for the all-clear to be able to go inside and recover their means to return home.
Callie thanked her lucky stars she had her bag with her. While she couldn’t get into the underground car park to retrieve her car until the building was reopened, she could certainly taxi home and then taxi to Josh’s place. Once cleared by the building warden that she could go, she did exactly that.
The cab driver was all too happy to stop outside a nearby supermarket so she could gather the ingredients she wanted for the dinner she’d planned tonight, and then, for a nominal extra fee, to wait while she rushed inside her town house and gathered her things for the night ahead.
By the time she reached Josh’s house, she was racing. She dropped the ingredients for her dinner preparations in the kitchen. She put on a large pot of water to boil, and set to work slicing onions and garlic together with mushrooms and bacon for the fettuccine she’d decided on. At least the meal was quick and easy to prepare.
She hummed to herself as the aromas from the fry pan blended together and she added the ribbons of fresh pasta to the boiling water before stirring in cream and parmesan to the ingredients in the pan. The fresh pasta was ready in minutes and, once drained and lightly tossed with the sauce, she slid the whole mixture into a large shallow bowl, covered it with foil and set it in the oven to keep warm.
A quick cleanup in the kitchen and she was ready to race upstairs to the master bedroom where she stripped off her work clothes and underwear and slid into the nightgown and peignoir. She took a minute to freshen her fragrance, the spritz between her breasts sending a shimmer of something more to spiral through her.
The swish of her nightgown between her thighs as she made her way back downstairs started up a thrill of longing that beat from her core. She couldn’t wait for Josh to arrive home. A smile danced across her lips. There was something deliciously decadent about not wearing any undergarments. It ranked right up there with skinny-dipping in the rain.
Callie distracted herself by setting the dining room table and searched out a couple of candles to dress it up a little. She remembered seeing some lovely squat scented candles in the living room the last time she was here.
In the living room her eyes were inexorably drawn to the bookcase and, more particularly, to the small chest that sat there. In it lay the seed of Josh’s bitterness. The only physical evidence he had to say who his father really was.
Callie reached out and let her fingers rest on the lid. What would Josh be like now, she wondered, if those letters had never existed? Would he have been as driven to triumph in his chosen market? Had his very need for revenge been the catalyst that saw him reach the heights he knew today or would he have gotten there anyway? Had his father, by his neglect, inversely created Josh’s success?
In the distance she heard a door slam and she jumped, knocking the box. Surprisingly, the lid jumped, too. Josh hadn’t relocked it. She lifted the lid cautiously, as if doing so would unleash the miseries of Pandora’s box, then let the lid drop closed again. Obviously, he’d forgotten.
Footsteps echoed on the parquet floor of the entrance hall as Josh came through from the garage. She snatched her hand away and wheeled from the bookcase, all thoughts of the box and its contents banished from her mind as he entered the room.
“Something smells good,” he commented. “I was worried you might be late. I got a call about the tower.”
“Nothing was going to stop me being here with you tonight,” Callie said as she eased into his embrace and lifted her face for his kiss.
Her heart beat double-time in her chest by the time he released her.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said, slipping from his arms. “I was just getting some candles for the table.”
“It can wait,” Josh growled, reaching for her again. “Right now I want you.”
“Right now?”
Excitement thrilled through her.
“Oh, yes.”
Josh swept her up into his arms and headed straight up the stairs, his breath barely showing signs of any strain. In his bedroom he kicked the door closed behind them and gently lowered her to her feet.
“I like this,” he said, pushing aside her peignoir and sweeping his hand over the slinky fabric of her nightgown.
“It feels beautiful, but—” his hand slid under the hem of the gown and pushed upward until he cupped her bottom “—I like the feel of you more.”