Mike grinned. “It’s a state I’ve become used to.”
“So you forgive us?” Gabrielle looked unconvinced.
Jason slowly nodded. “If Lauren’s not mad, then neither am I.”
Gabrielle’s shoulders slumped in relief.
“Thank you! We’ll make it up to you,” Amber promised.
Lauren grinned. She knew exactly what she wanted in return. “How about you tell me where you got those gorgeous boots!”
“Bloomingdale’s,” the other woman said. “Do you want to plan a shopping trip?”
“Thursdays are my day off,” Amber said. “So if not today, next week?”
Lauren shook her head, wishing she could take them up on their offer. Not only did she love clothes and shopping, but a girls’ day out sounded like a treat. One she couldn’t afford, not in time or in cash.
“I’d love to but I need to spend my free time here.” She gestured around the house. “It’s got to be finished by December first.”
Amber perched her hands on her hips and surveyed her surroundings. “Can we help?”
Lauren shook her head. She’d never impose. “No, thank you, but I really appreciate the offer.”
“How are things going?” Derek asked.
“Other than the fire damage? It’s coming along slowly but surely,” Jason said. “I’m tackling things room by room so at least there’ll be finished components by the deadline.”
“Where did the fire start?” Mike asked.
“The fire department said the wires in the electrical panel were tampered with,” Lauren said.
Mike let out a slow whistle. “Any suspects?”
“Plenty of people with access. Nobody with motive.”
“If you need any help, don’t hesitate to give me a call,” his cop cousin offered.
“Now that you mention it,” Jason said, “if I give you a list of people, can you run simple checks for me? See if anyone had any connections to Lauren’s grandmother or sister? I’m looking for a motive. A reason for someone to want to sabotage this house.”
“Anything I can do,” Mike promised.
Jason slapped his cousin on the back. “Thanks.”
“Same for us,” Amber reminded Lauren. “If you change your mind and decide you need any help cleaning out the house, give us a ring.”
Goodbyes said, Mike and Derek ushered their wives out of the house, leaving Lauren with the impression they weren’t finished lecturing the two women. But despite the anger, there was plenty of love between these couples, as well.
Lauren envied them.
LAUREN HAD BEEN RIGHT about the police confiscating her grandmother’s papers for evidence, and since her sister had taken many of the notes, they’d kept things for a potential trial. Even the small cabinet in her grandmother’s closet had been emptied. Just when she’d given up finding anything helpful, Lauren had remembered that her grandmother’s night table drawer had a secret compartment. When she was a little girl, Mary used to leave surprise gifts for Lauren and Beth there. So many bad memories had taken place in recent years, she’d almost forgotten there had been any good ones.
Inside the secret compartment, Lauren found an old diary. The book was small, bound in tan leather with dog-eared pages. Since she probably wouldn’t find anything recent or relevant to her problems inside, Lauren placed the diary on her pillow to look through after she’d finished her work for the day.
Hours later, she finally curled up in bed with the diary. Jason eased in beside her. “Anything interesting in it?” he asked.
She flipped through, taking care with the thin, often cracked pages. “I’m not sure. I don’t even recognize the writing.”
He propped himself against the pillows and headboard and she scooted backward, curling into him so they could look together. As she scanned the pages, she realized that something liquid had spilled on the old pages. Although the paper had long since dried, it was yellowed and the writing had smudged.
What was clear, however, was that the entries had been made by one of Lauren’s ancestors.
“It looks like it’s written by another Mary Perkins,” Lauren said, excited. “Not my grandmother, but an earlier one.”
“Interesting,” he said, nuzzling her neck in a blatant attempt to distract her with sex.
And oh how she wanted to be distracted. In a few minutes. After she examined the diary a little longer.
He ran his tongue up and down her throat, but receiving no response, groaned, “I’ll wait.”
“Thanks. I’ll make it up to you.” And she had every intention of keeping her word.
She turned her attention back to the small book in her hand. The more she read, the more she wondered if the book belonged to the Mary Perkins, the woman who had placed the original curse on Jason’s family. Unfortunately the entries weren’t dated.
Lauren’s heart beat rapidly in her chest as she studied the fragile pages. The beginning was like a window into a woman’s thoughts and longings, making Lauren uncomfortable. She didn’t appreciate feeling like a voyeur, but before she could turn the page, something caught her eye.
The word curse had been written in capital letters at the end of the entry. “Jason, look!”
He leaned over her shoulder, his breath warm against her skin. “What does it say?”
“Before the smudging, the entry mentions an offering of some kind. After that the only clear word is curse. I think this book belonged to that Mary Perkins!”
He glanced at the diary warily. “If it did, I’m not sure I want to know.” He shuddered, then met her gaze, his turning heated. “Besides, do we really want to revisit our family history when the present is so much more interesting?” He slipped his hand under her nightshirt and settled his palm flat on her belly.
So much for his willingness to wait.
“But-”
“No buts. We can’t figure this out ourselves. Talk to Clara tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll know how to help you decipher it.” His gruff tone indicated his mind was on anything but ancient history.
“Hmm. That’s a good idea. And while she’s at it, maybe she can exorcise the demons from this place and make the whole project run smoother.”
He shook his head. “Whatever floats your boat.”
She grinned. “That would be you.”
He lifted the book out of her hand and placed it on the nightstand, effectively ending the conversation. Then he turned to her, pulling her into his arms and sealing his lips against hers. His mouth was as hard as his body, his kiss every bit as compelling. He kissed her, making love with her, swirling his tongue inside her and drinking her up.
Every inch of her body tingled in anticipation, needing more and wanting it now. “Wait.”
She left him only long enough to undress, tossing her underwear and shirt onto the floor. He took her cue and stripped quickly, meeting her naked on the center of the bed. Every time they came together like this, she wanted to stop and look at him, savor every inch of his skin. But the urge to join with him won out.
She rolled toward him, and when his bare skin touched hers, the world seemed to stop spinning. Nothing existed except them. He urged her back against the mattress. With his knee, he parted her legs and positioned himself over her, his sexy gaze boring into hers.
She already knew she was ready for him, but he surprised her by not reaching for the condoms they’d placed in the nightstand drawer. Instead, he propped himself up on one arm and stared into her eyes.
She glimpsed a wealth of emotion as he lowered his lips back to hers, kissing her more gently this time. But he didn’t stop with her lips. He moved over the curve of her cheek, across her jaw, then down her neck and shoulder, pausing at what she thought of as his favorite spot. He nuzzled the sensitive area between her neck and shoulder, alternating soft love bites with longer laps of his tongue.