AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Out back, Josie floated over from next door wearing some pastel pink getup. She was freshly showered with wet hair slicked back into a ponytail, carrying two Coronas with lime wedges stuffed into the necks in one hand and a plate with sandwiches in the other. The smell of vanilla wafted onto the deck a few feet before her, and yet again, I found my eyes drifting down to her collarbone.
The view was pretty damn spectacular, and I didn’t try to hide my watching.
She grinned as she stepped onto the deck. “Someone looks hungry.”
You have no fucking idea. I took the plate and beer with a thanks and realized as Josie settled into the seat across from me at the table that it was the first time I’d had a woman back here in a long time. The women I did bring home spent most of the time in my bedroom. I wasn’t much on morning-afters, so I usually didn’t do sleepovers either. But I couldn’t say I didn’t like having something pretty to look at as I ate. If I were being honest, her company wasn’t bad either. It was the string that came with getting involved with the type of woman Josie was that I wasn’t much fond of.
“So guess what?” She lifted the beer to her lips.
“What?”
“Noah hasn’t called in two days—not since you threatened to jump out of a bush and crush him like a bug when he least expected it.”
“That’s good.”
“I was thinking about you while I was in the shower.”
I arched a brow. “Oh yeah?”
She chuckled. “Not like that, dirty boy.”
Shame. Because I’ve been thinking about you like that more often than not during my showers lately.
“What were you thinking, then?”
“You’re kind of an enigma. Most men are like Porter. They do nice things for women because they want something in return. But not you. You’re more like Superman. You swoop in when I need help and then disappear for days, turning back into grumpy Clark Kent.”
“Trust me, I’m no hero. But you should be wary of guys who only do something because they want something in return.”
She bit into her sandwich. “You mean guys like Porter? I don’t know. I think if I ruled out men who wantedsomething, there would be very few left. Porter seems harmless enough, though he’s not really my type.”
I didn’t like that I felt relieved to hear she wasn’t interested in Porter. Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop myself from poking around.
“What is your type?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure I know anymore. I think I’m better at knowing what’s not. Porter is nice enough, but he seems like a player.”
My lip curved. “Good call.”
“What about you? Do you have a type?”
“Yeah. Simple.”
She laughed. “What does that mean, simple? Like a simpleton? Someone who is gullible?”
“No, not a simpleton. Just simple. As in, the opposite of complicated.”
“So a no-strings-attached type deal? That’s your type?”
“I’m not against strings. Just don’t like the kind that tie me up in knots. And so we’re clear, I mean figurative knots. Not the literal ones. Those I wouldn’t mind.”
Josie smiled. “Thanks for the clarification.”
“You’re welcome.”
She looked out at the lake. I watched her face. She’d been enjoying the view but then seemed to think about something else, something less enjoyable.
“What do you want to know?” I asked.
