"What have you got there?" I ask, unable to hide my curiosity when Josh steps onto my front porch with a large box in his arms. His eyes sparkle with excitement as he kneels and sets it on the ground in front of me, looking up with a mischievous grin.
"A surprise," he says, waving me closer.
I don't need to be asked twice, and I'm quickly kneeling on the wooden porch beside him. “A surprise for me?”
“Primarily.” He holds my gaze as he pulls open the box and I look inside, finding a trove of romance novels.
My mouth drops open in shock. "Josh...you got me books?"
“That’s not all,” he says, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a padded envelope.
I take it and turn it over in my hand, my heart beating thunderously as I reach inside and slide out a tissue wrapped book with a sticker logo in the center I’d know anywhere. “Saffron Spark?”
He grins wider. "It’s to replace the one I ruined. I wanted to get you something special, something you'll enjoy. So I got it direct from the author so she’d sign it.”
“You contacted Saffron Spark for me?”
“Of course. I’d do anything for you, flick.”
Tearing the tissue open carefully, I slide the paperback free and open the front cover, tears coming to my eyes as I read the author’s words written just for me, ‘Dearest Reggie, I pucking love my readers! Saffron Spark xxx’
“I love it,” I sigh, hugging the book to my chest. “Thank you, Josh.”
“You’re very welcome,” he says warmly, his hands on either side of the almost-overflowing box. “And this here is technically a gift for the both of us. I figured you could use a few new titles since we've almost read your entire bookshelf. So, I searched through Amazon and got two of everything that looked good so we can buddy read."
I'm speechless. Never in my life has a man gone out of his way to get me something so thoughtful. But that's Josh, and in the short time I’ve known him, he's proven time and time again that he's nothing like any other guy I've ever met.
He's special, and I'm beginning to see that he just might be the one man I can trust with my fragile and broken heart.
"I don't know what to say," I practically whisper, my throat feeling tight with emotion as I watch him pull book after book from the box.
"You don't have to say anything. Spending time talking to you is enough," he says, glancing up at me with a heartfelt smile that has me aching all over. I act without thinking.
"You amaze me," I gasp, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his.
He freezes in surprise for a moment, and then his arms wrap around me in return, and he deepens the kiss, tongue seeking entry and gliding against mine in a powerful, dominant yet sensual way. I'm lost; lost in the feelings of excitement and desire rushing through my body with each languid stroke, each exploratory taste, each desire-filled murmur as his hands go into my hair and he angles my head just so.
“You amazeme,Regina. You are my favorite person in the world. I dream of you.” Those last words come out as a whisper and hit me right in my chest. I’ve never wanted a man more than I do right in this moment.
"I want to re-enact every dirty scene in all these books with you," I blurt, realization quickly hitting me before I clap my hands over my mouth in surprise.
Josh smiles down at me, cupping my chin and lifting it up so our eyes meet. "Say that again?"
"I-I'm sorry," I stammer, feeling embarrassed by my impulsiveness. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."
"Yeah, you did,” he says softly, brushing back a strand of hair from my face. “You meant every word.”
My cheeks flush pink as I nod in admission, not trusting myself to speak again.
"That's exactly the kind of thing I want to hear from you. I want you to feel comfortable expressing your desires with me. I want you to feel safe with me, Regina."
Still mortified by my slip up, I close my eyes, allowing his words sink in and ebb away at my doubts. I trust him. For the first time in a long time, I finally feel like I'm with a strong, caring, honorable man. Someone who would never hurt me or leave me standing alone embarrassed the way my ex did.
"I do feel safe with you, Josh," I whisper, my voice barely audible as I risk opening my eyes to look up at him. “And I think I’m finally ready for something more.”
He smiles before pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. "Then I'm all yours. Just as you were mine the moment I saw you."
I can feel the warmth of his words seep into my bones, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm home. I'm in the arms of someone I can trust, who I can express myself to, who will let me be me.
