"It's OK, Josh," I say, placing my hand over his where it rests on the couch between us. "Really. I know accidents happen. It's not like you willingly threw my favorite book into the mud."
"I definitely didn't," he says, a relieved chuckle leaving him as he gives my fingers a gentle squeeze. I suck in my breath, my eyes dropping to where our hands are still joined, and the only thing I can think about is how good it feels to have the heat of his skin pressed against mine.
"Josh." His name comes out in a whisper, and I don't know what it is about him, but the air is suddenly thick with something else entirely. Something that has me wondering why I ever thought coming here to live out my life alone was the only way forward for me.
Josh leans in, his lips as close to mine as they can get without actually touching. "Yes, Reggie?" he asks, his breath fanning my lips, sending shivers up my spine.
I stop breathing completely, closing my eyes and wondering how on earth I got myself in this position. Half of me is screaming for him to close the distance and kiss me, and the other half is flashing red lights and warning bells. I came out here to be alone and heal. What's happening right now is the very opposite of that.
"I..." I start, forcing my eyes to open and my lungs to inhale. "I...I want to know what you thought of the book." Scooting away from him slightly, I clear my throat and break the connection, sitting up and retrieving my wine glass from the table.
He frowns. "The book?"
Lifting the glass to my lips, I take a big, calming mouthful. "You know, the book you dropped in the mud? Where did you get up to? And what did you think?"
A slow smile crosses his features as he angles himself toward me, knee up on the couch as he returns to his wine and sips. "I was only a few chapters away from finishing. It was the big game and he had to decide if he was going to play or throw it away and get his ass to the airport to stop her getting on that plane."
Instantly, the scene pops into my head. I love a good reunion scene. "And what do you think he chooses?"
"There is no choice. He chooses her," he whispers, looking at me in a way that makes me feel like he's the one doing the choosing, and I'm the obvious choice. It makes my heart stutter in my chest. "Any man worth his weight knows that when the perfect woman crashes into your life, there's nothing more valuable than earning and keepin’ her love. He'd go to the ends of the earth for her."
"Even if it took him a while to realize that," I whisper in return, my voice almost a sigh as I take in the intensity of his gaze.
"That's the only part I didn't like. If I found the other half to my whole, there's no way I'd push her away the way he did."
"No? What would you do instead?"
"Anything and everything in my power to win her over and keep her,claim her."
My core tightens and my cheeks flush. "I know what you're doing here, Josh, and as much as I appreciate the attention of someone as ridiculously handsome as you, I have to be truthful and tell you I don’t know that I’m relationship material right now." Even as the words tumble out of my mouth in a rush, my brain is screaming at me to shut up. No single woman in her right mind would push a gorgeous man who's openly into them away. But maybe I'm just not in my right mind.
"I like the part where you called me ridiculously handsome," he says, lifting his glass to take a gulp. "But the rest, I could do without." He shifts slightly in his seat as he meets my eyes. "Do you really think that you have to be relationship material to find one worth having?"
I press my lips together, unsure of what to say when I already feel so unsure of myself around this man. He overwhelms me in the best of ways, but he also frightens me with his intensity. I could see myself completely falling into him, and I'm not sure I'm ready to let go of myself like that again. Not so soon after my failed wedding.
"You sound like my best friend," I force out eventually. "She's always telling me to keep an open mind and let the universe guide me."
"Then I'm in good company. Because from where I'm sittin’, beautiful women with a quick wit and a love of books don't walk into my life too often. But that's kind of the point of life, isn't it?Things happen when you least expect them to. And sometimes whether you're ready or not, you just have to grab on tight and hold on. Maybe it'll work out. Maybe it won't. But it's the regrettin' that'll kill you. That thought in your mind that nags when you're trying to sleep, telling you what a fool you were to let something that could be amazin' slip away."
"Are you calling me a fool, farm boy?"
He grins and shakes his head. "No, flick. I'm just making my intentions clear. You may not be ready for me yet, but I'm ready for you. So no matter how hard you push me, I won't walk away. I won't let you get on the plane." He picks up the book I was reading and holds it up to me to illustrate his next point. "And I won't ever let you think you aren't the only woman in my life."
Gasping, I snatch the book from his grip. "What does that mean? Are you talking aboutthisbook? Is there other woman drama?" I say, flicking through the book and finding the offending scene a few chapters away.
Josh winces. "I really thought you'd have read past that point by now."
I bat him gently with the now-closed book. "I've had a lot on my mind, OK?"
He catches my hand and holds it in his. "As long as I was one of those things, then I can leave here tonight a happy man."
My eyes meet his, and it's impossible to look away. "Yes. OK? Yes, you were a big part of that."
A slow smile curves his kissable lips. "I'm going to fight for you. I don't know what it is that's caused you to build up your walls, but I'm going to be the man who tears them down brick by brick and dedicates his life to making you feel whole."
I couldn't hide the smile that takes over if I tried. "Two romance novels, and suddenly this man is talking like a born hero."
"Maybe," he says, standing up and picking up his hat. "Or maybe I just know what I want. And what I want is you." He leans down and places a gentle kiss on my forehead, my cheeks flaming as I look up into his eyes when he straightens again. "I'll see you soon, flick. And I expect that when I come back, I'll have a chance to prove to you that I'm not like any other guy you've ever met."
