‘January,’ he murmured softly, crossing the room to stand in front of her, his hands moving up to gently cradle each side of her face as he looked down at her searchingly. ‘I really thought it might have been you who was attacked last night,’ he groaned huskily.
Her breath caught in her throat. ‘And that would have bothered you?’
A frown darkened his brow. ‘Of course it would have bothered me!’ he rasped. ‘You must have known that…?’ He looked down at her frustratedly, fingers lightly caressing her brows.
She gave a shake of her head. ‘I’m not sure what I know any more, Max. One minute you’re—you’re making love to me, and the next—! Well, we both know what happened next,’ she remembered hardly, deliberately moving away, his hands falling back to his sides.
Just in time, as it happened, her two sisters coming back into the kitchen at that moment, May’s sharp gaze instantly taking in the fact that the two of them stood well apart, the tension between them tangible.
‘March was just telling me that there’s been another attack,’ May said briskly as she moved to check the food cooking on top of the Aga.
‘I meant to tell you earlier,’ January groaned. ‘But I—it slipped my mind.’ She deliberately avoided looking at Max—because they both knew he was the reason she had forgotten to mention this latest attack to her sister.
‘I meant to tell you all when I came in,’ March muttered self-disgustedly. ‘But for some reason it slipped my mind, too.’ She gave Max a pointed grimace, having changed into black denims and a bright orange jumper, the latter eye-catching, to say the least.
‘There seems to be a lot of it about,’ Max murmured appreciatively.
‘Yes,’ March drawled wryly.
‘Tell them the worst part about it, March,’ May encouraged impatiently.
‘What—? Oh, yes.’ March nodded. ‘It was Josh,’ she announced slightly incredulously.
‘What was?’ January prompted dazedly, still confused from having Max touch her in that way. Would she ever understand him?
‘Josh…?’ Max repeated slowly. ‘The same Josh who is marrying your cousin—Sara, isn’t it?—on Saturday?’ He looked accusingly at January, the sharpness of that gaze reminding her that it was the same Josh who had kissed her on Saturday evening!
‘That’s the one,’ March confirmed. ‘Although I’m not sure if the wedding will still be going ahead, in the circumstances?’ She looked across at May.
‘I’ll telephone Aunt Lyn in a moment.’ May nodded. ‘How awful for them all.’ She shook her head distractedly.
‘Hang on a minute,’ January protested, having been listening to this conversation with increasing incredulity.
She had known Josh most of her life, had, as she’d told Max on Saturday, been at school with him, and while there was no doubting Josh could be a little boisterous at times, liked to have fun, he also didn’t have a vicious bone in his body.
‘They have to have the wrong man.’ She shook her head dismissively. ‘Josh isn’t capable of attacking anyone, let alone seven women.’
‘Oh, no, you misunderstood me,’ March apologized with a grimace. ‘Josh was the one who was attacked,’ she explained disgustedly. ‘Beaten up pretty badly, from what I gather.’
What the hell—?
Now Max was as confused as January looked. Although, he had to admit, a few seconds ago he had been angry with her at her defence of the other man…!
‘But he’s a man!’ January burst out incredulously.
As well she might. As far as Max had been able to gather—although, having been out of the country for several months, he was obviously a latecomer to these random attacks—all the other victims had been women.
‘Are they sure it was the Night Striker?’ He frowned his own puzzlement.
‘Positive,’ March confirmed, seeming to have forgotten her antagonism towards him—for the moment. ‘Same M.O., or whatever they call it.’ She grimaced.
‘Modus operandi,’ Max murmured frowningly. ‘Latin,’ he explained as he glanced up to find all three sisters looking at him.
March nodded, her gaze mocking. ‘Being a lawyer, you would know that.’
His mouth twisted. ‘I wouldn’t be a very good one if I didn’t.’
‘And we’re all sure that you’re very good,’ March taunted.