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“Sure,” I said, loving the feeling of leaving on a high.
The crowd parted as we skated off the ice. We returned our skates and took the subway back to Bainbridge’s.
“I had such a great time,” I told him as we once again parted at Bainbridge’s front door.
“Me too,” he said, kissing my hand. “Every moment with you is an adventure.”
He waved as he walked back into the store, and my heart tugged. Tanner was so fun and exciting. He practically threw Josh completely out of my head. Practically.
I turned back in the direction of the subway, a lead weight pulling me down as I thought of the evening ahead of me. The rehearsal dinner was tonight. And there was one very important, very dangerous, very sharp sticking point to tonight’s event.
Josh would be there.
∞∞∞
Not only was Josh there, but he was sitting in my lap.
Well, not literally in my lap, but we were pressed up uncomfortably close to each other. The length of his thigh pressed flush against mine, our hips ground together with every breath, and the tip of his elbow grazed the side of my boob. We were practically welded together in the overcrammed booth.
Janet and her cousin, Wade, sat across from us and were absorbed in a heated discussion about the role of appliances in household injuries.
“Hi,” I finally said. I’d managed to ignore Josh all during the wedding rehearsal, even when I saw him craning his neck trying to get my attention, but I couldn’t very well ignore him when we were so close our spleens were touching.
“Hi.” His voice was low, meant only for me. The hubbub of general conversation rose high. His deep tones sank beneath it, stirring the only parts of me he wasn’t touching.
“So you’re dating Brick now?” I jerked my chin to indicate Janet and Troy’s brother, the large best man who was squished up against Josh’s other side.
Josh’s lips twitched. “If only. So far my heart has only known longing.”
A short burst of laughter gusted out of me.
He smiled, his eyes warming on mine. “How about you and that wall, huh? You two look pretty cozy.” He flicked his gaze to indicate the decorative stone wall that wanted more from me than I was willing to give.
“Oh, yes.” I made my voice breathy. “The wall’s abs are brick-hard.”
“What?” Brick turned to me at the sound of his name and managed to squish Josh, me, and the wall even closer together.
“There went a lung,” Josh wheezed.
“It’s okay. You’ve got two of them,” I whispered back. “Nothing,” I said louder to Brick. He swung back around, his eyes following a voluptuous blonde waitress in a short skirt, and managed to steal another inch of booth space.
Josh and I both grunted, squished together again in random and exciting new places.
“It would help if I could put my arm around you,” Josh said.
“Help who? I’m not letting you put your arm around me just so you can make Brick jealous.”
“What?” Brick turned to us again, his backside acquiring more real estate with the motion. We squawked as more organs collided.
“Nothing!” we both yelled.
“Whatever.” Brick turned back around and waved at the waitress.
“You’ve got to stop doing that,” Josh whispered. “We’ll be flatter than unfilled crepes.”
“Speak for yourself. I could do this all night.”
Josh shook his head, but a smile came into his eyes. “Ibetyou couldn’t go one hour with—”
