“I get that.” I paused, thinking what else I could say to explain why I avoided mentioning Josh. The obvious reason was because I was never referring to him, but obviously I couldn’t say that. “It took us by surprise and we needed to see where it went, just in case, and we needed to be careful because we work together, you know.” At least that wasn’t a complete lie.
“For whatever it’s worth, he is very into you.”
I held back my scoff by biting the inside of my cheek. Hewasinto me, parts of me. His eyes had practically been glued to my chest all day. Which I admit, I may have purposely worn a sun dress with a peekaboo neckline. Before I could respond anything sarcastic, Josh came through the door. His hair was mussed, as if he’d just ran his fingers through the damp strands. His shirt clung to him; he’d clearly put it on before drying. My eyes wandered all over him, lingering on his pecs longer than acceptable, all the way down to the way his navy Twisters sweatpants clung to his hips. I bit the corner of my lip hard enough to draw blood.
“And that’s my cue to leave,” my sister hastily called as she backed out of the bunkie, as if I was about to leap over her to jump him.
My eyes rose to Josh’s, he smirked. “Guess we solved theare they togetherdebate.”
I could only nod. Afraid that anything coming out of my mouth would be inappropriate or worse, that I would act on my impulse to run my nails across the definition of muscles in his shoulders and upper back. The result of years of training, combined with the perfect stance when batting the ball, was worth it and I was tempted to run my fingers through hisoutlines. For a moment, I wondered if he was the type who liked being marked up by sharp nails.
“Enjoying the view?” he smugly asked, breaking me out of my dirty thought of nails being dragged down them.
My eyes darted up to see him watching me. My face fell and the small trace of embarrassment I should have felt for ogling him wasn’t there. I smirked. “I’ve seen better.”
Darting around him, I headed back to the house for a shower. A cold, cold shower. Damn alcohol was inhibiting my judgment. I should have stopped drinking wine three glasses ago. It tended to lead me down many wrong paths, usually right into a bed and a regretful walk of shame.
CHAPTER 24
JOSH
April had gone for a shower while I stretched out on the lumpy futon. It was like trying to settle between camel humps. I was sure lump thirty-nine had left a permanent mark in my hip. Not that I expected to sleep much anyways. My mind had been replaying most of today. A specific part of today at least. The part where April and I were locking lips. How far would I have gone? We were pretending to be an item, but in that moment, there was nothing to pretend. I wanted more of her. Desperately. And I didn’t know what to do about it, except wonder, did she?
My eyes stared up at the ceiling, my cock thickening the more I thought about April. The way her skin felt, her nipples when they pressed against me, the softness of her lips. Instinctively, my hand reached under the waist of my sweats and stroked my cock. Fuck, it was like iron. Aching for release.
The click of the door opening had me releasing my grip on myself from under the thick blanket and hoping it wasn’t that noticeable in the dimly lit space. Until I caught a glimpse of April with her wet hair hanging down and nipples peeking through despite the thick fabric of hersweater. Fuck me. She tossed her clothes in her bag and tucked herself under the covers. Her lips trembling and her body shaking.
“Shit, it got cold,” she said through chattering teeth, pulling the blankets up to her nose.
Instinctively, I scooched over next to her and tugged her into the crook of my arm. She tensed for a moment before settling against me.
“How are you so w-wa-arm?” She shivered.
Thinking of you naked. Us naked.The warning bells in my head rang loud, letting me know to keep that shit as an inside thought.
I cleared my throat. “Dunno. Maybe it’s the sweats?”Liar.
My cock twitched. I inched slightly back to not poke her thigh with my raging hard-on. She shifted slightly, giving me more space. Not that it worked.
Carefully, I positioned myself onto my back to remove the itch to touch her, to dig my hands into the soft flesh of her hips. She was driving me wild.Don’t do it.My inner self scolded me, reminding me this was not part of the plan. The whole day, as perfect as it was, was make-believe. Throwing sex or anything into the mix would be problematic for a situationship.
I focused on the sounds of the crickets I heard chirping out in the dewy grass. The hum of the water you could make out from the open window and April’s slowing breaths. My eyes drifted down to the tip of her nose peeking out from the edge of the blankets. I smiled at how cute she looked. Her chest rose and fell in long succession.
“Stop glaring. It’s weird,” April mumbled, as if she watched me out of her peripheral vision.
“I was making sure you could breathe, all wrapped up like a mummy,” I replied dryly.
“Or staring at my chest.” She scoffed.
“It’s a great view,” I added, shifting, yet again, to add atouch more space between us, instantly letting in a small draft. I shuddered at the coolness.
“I’ve been told,” she murmured, drifting off.
An unexpected flash of jealousy bubbled up inside me. No one was allowed to look at those tits. They were mine.What the hell?For now. The next few weeks, at least. Or so I told myself.
I willed my hands to keep where they were as I lulled off to sleep. The bastards didn’t listen. I woke up to a handful of ass. A warm leg was draped over mine, April’s head was on my chest. Her fingers were running up and down my stomach. My dick was anxiously waking. Nervously, I lay completely still. Unsure if April was awake or asleep. It was still pitch-black outside and the only light was from the moon through the sliver of the drapes. I couldn’t have been asleep that long.
“April,” I croaked out just as her fingers dipped into the tip of my waistband.
