“I still take mine with cream and no sugar.”
Lux spun around, her eyes opening wide at the sight of Joshua Kingdom leaning against the doorjamb assessing her. His pose of folded arms and crossed legs rattled her so much she was lost for words. Heat immediately rushed into her face, and for a moment she thought she was going to embarrass herself by hyperventilating.
“How did you get in here?” She demanded bravado coming to her aid. Not waiting for a response, Lux picked up steam as she switched from shock to vexation. “Don’t bother to answer that, just get out of my house!”
“Tut, Tut, Luxandria. That temper of yours is going to get you into serious trouble one of these days,” Josh laughed.
“Come on Josh, you’re going to have to do better than that. I no longer care if you call me by my given name; as long as you do it while you’re out of my house and my sight!” When she was finished, Lux watched to see how he would react to her dismissal.
Straightening from his relaxed position, and with no change of expression, Josh threw out a command. “Pack a bag and your passport; you’re coming with me.”
For a moment, Lux could only stare at him, her mouth hanging open in shock. That he thought he could come into her house and dole out orders caused a red haze to settle over her vision. About to blast him, she remembered she was no longer the young woman he’d once known. She was a grown ass woman and Joshua Kingdom was no longer a part of her life.
Snorting at his order, Lux turned back to the job of making her tea. “I don’t know how you got in here; all I ask is that you leave in the same way.”
Before she’d even finished speaking, Lux felt his big body pressed against her back. Her awareness of every hard muscle that touched her was immediate. She remembered the feel of him, the scent of him, how it felt when he ran his hands over her naked body, when he was buried deep inside her making her scream out his name.
Drawing in her breath, Lux used everything within her not to show what he did to her. “Get away from me!”
“Umm, now what should I do?” Josh mumbled against her ear. “Your words tell me one thing while this little pulse beating away right here,” he nipped her neck to indicate the spot. “Tells me something entirely different.”
Lux wanted to turn around and cuss him out face to face and she nearly did. Then it dawned on her; to do so would bring their bodies to a level of intimacy that she wasn’t ready for. The feelings he stimulated within her were so powerful, she remained exactly as she was, her back to him.
“Ahh, Luxandria,” Josh laughed. “I nearly had you there.” As he spoke, he leaned in closer. Burying his nose into her hair, his hands rested on the counter top, caging her in.
“You smell good, Luxandria. The same as I remember with a little bit of the islands mixed in for good measure... I like it.”
“You have exactly three seconds to move. If you don’t, I’m going to hurt you,” Lux told him through gritted teeth.
The sound of his laughter galvanized her into movement. In one quick motion, she reached for a spoon and brought it down hard in the exact position where his hand had been only moments before.
No longer feeling the heat of his body, Lux used the opportunity to spin around to face him. She wouldn’t have deliberately hurt him, and the only reason she’d used the spoon was because she remembered how quickly he could move when the need arose.
“Don’t let me have to hurt you, Joshua!” Lux waved the spoon before her as a threat.
“My God, Luxandria!” Josh used a high pitched voice as he held his undamaged hand to his chest. “You nearly stabbed me with a... a blunt spoon!”
He looked and sounded so dumb, Lux almost laughed. Then she remembered who she was dealing with. Joshua Kingdom, the biggest trickster she’d ever met. Ignoring his attempts to make her laugh, Lux repeated her demand that he leave.
“I can’t do that Lux,” Josh answered, all signs of playfulness gone. “Your brother sent me. You need to come with me.”
The mention of her brother spiked a pulse of pleasure to know that he was still alive; even as it annoyed her that the thought even entered her head. Both Josh and her brother knew she wanted nothing to do with either of them. She’d told them so years ago and as far as she was concerned her feelings were the same.
Knowing it was useless to attempt to dissuade him; Lux turned and made her tea as though she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. She didn’t offer him a cup either.
“Didn’t you hear what I said, we have to go.” Josh finally spoke after she had taken two sips of her hot drink.