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“What do we have to catch up on? You’re still here, working in the garage, and still… you. You already know what I do, so unless you’ve also taken up video lighting and editing as a hobby, I’m not sure what you want to talk about.”

He snorts a laugh and leans against the table next to me, crossing his legs in a way that pushes out his crotch. Gray sweats or not, I struggle not to stare at the bulge in his pants. I shift my stance to try and dull the growing ache in my core and end up feeling the slick need pooling at the apex of my thighs instead, only making it worse.

He flashes me a lopsided smile that reminds me of the boy I remember, and I know one of those dimples is popping under his beard. “I wanted to ask about your van, you know? Everywhere you’ve taken it, what your favorite places were, places you still want to go.”

He rambles on, but I don’t hear a word because my heart is fluttering like the angry butterflies in my stomach that I thought died years ago.

Of all the things I’ve missed about this place or my life here, it was talking with the shy boy from next door that I missed the most. The girl who loved him wants to tell him everything she’s done for the last ten years. She wants to pour out all those details.

The woman I am today remembers that we were supposed to do those things together. Those nights alone under the stars, or maybe traveling with Grace, he was supposed to be curled up under the blanket with me. Those memories are enough to remind me that I need to keep some sort of emotional wall up between us, even if I’ve let that physical barrier crumble.

“Oh, fuck off, Sly.” I roll my eyes and huff a laugh. “You don’t mean that. Also, it doesn’t matter because I’m not in the mood… to talk.”

I don’t know why I let that last bit slip out. It’s not a lie because I’m not in the mood for this conversation. That doesn’t mean I don’t want other things from him. As bad of an idea as repeating last night might be, there is an end in sight to me staying here in Sterling Springs, so maybe my subconscious is onto something today.

Giving him my sternest look, I let my eyes rake over him one last time, silently appreciating how criminally unfair it is for a man to look like that. Then I turn on my heel and stomp right back to my room, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder at him. It doesn’t even matter that I never made it to Sisi’s apartment to get more wine because I’m now in the mood for a different kind of stress relief.

CHAPTER 24

SLY

An Invitation

I’m starting to lose track of how many times I’ve watched Josie strut away from me in the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday morning, it was her walking away from me and my car in skin-tight shorts toward Maribel’s. Last night, it was watching her leave my garage, somehow both flustered and sated. Now, she’s storming off back to her motel room in her pajamas. The way those little shorts show the curve of her ass and those rose tattoos has my mouth going dry and watering all at the same time. I can’t help but think about what it was like having my face buried between her ass cheeks last night.

Her videos are amazing, but this is a view that must be seen in person to truly appreciate. From her frustrated and exasperated groan, to the way she stomps her feet with her fists clenched at her sides, it’s just as adorable as it is hot—a flustered Josie is a fiery Josie.

And fiery Josie? That’s my Bunny.

In fact, the only thing wrong with this view is that I’m finally admitting I still crave her near me, and watching her walk away means I can’t breathe her in.

When she gets to her door, she looks back at me. Her eyes land on the table next to me before she opens her room and goes inside. My eyes fall to the table, and her phone sitting there.

I grab her phone and look back up. She’s not standing there anymore, but the door is wide open. Literally. I look at the phone in my hand again, then back at her open door. A rough laugh rumbles up my throat and I shake my head.

She might be trying to toy with me, but screw it. If I have an excuse to be near her at this point, I’m going to take it.

I grab my tool bag and quickly stride across the patio to her room. I step inside, set my bag down, and look around the suite. On the desk along the far wall by the bathroom, there’s a bottle of wine and an empty glass next to her open laptop. I spot the duffel bag she came to the garage for last night by the king-size bed, along with a ring light sitting on one of the nightstands. On the other end of the suite by the TV, I see the mini fridge that I’ve been making sure is stocked for her. I ended up buying two cases of that awful red cream soda because I wasn’t positive how long she’d be here, and I didn’t want the housekeeper to run out. All in all, the room is surprisingly clean considering that growing up, her room was almost always a mess. Admittedly, I never saw it with the lights on, since I’d sneak in through the window in the middle of the night.

My eyes finally land on her. She’s lounging across the couch with her head on one of the armrests, knees bent, eyeing me skeptically.

“You brought your tool bag, but not your shirt? Sisi’s right. You really are all about those glamour muscles,” she says dryly before taking a sip from the glass soda bottle before setting it down on the coffee table.

I gently shut the door behind me and step toward her. She crosses her arms, watching until I’m standing right over her.

I hold up her phone between my thumb and forefinger, shaking it between us. “Was this another invitation? I wasn’t sure since my mouth is empty this time.”

She rolls her eyes with an annoyed sigh. “That depends. Can you be an adult and follow some rules?”

“What would those be?”

“Remember, this doesn’t mean anything. This is just us having fun. I’m leaving in less than two weeks, and nothing your stupid tongue or stupid dick can do is going to change that.”

She looks up at me, and I see the resolve in her eyes. I also see the longing and the way her teeth dig into her lower lip. I know I’m an idiot, setting myself up for heartbreak because she’s right—she is going to leave again. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to attempt to make things right between us. These days might be the last ones I ever get with her. So, if this is all she’ll give me, I’m going to have to live with that.

I lower myself onto the couch and sit by her waist. She doesn’t flinch. If anything, she leans into me.

“You said rules. That only sounded like one. What are the others?” I ask.