I told you sois said with a squeeze at my elbow while her eyes say,Don’t worry, I’ll take it from here.
“It’s really not what you think,” she interjects. “My apartment had a leak while I was gone and I’m staying here for a few days while they fix it. That’s why we canceled the surf trip. It’s been chaos. Wes was just trying to pull me out of my stress spiral.” She looks up at me again, a smug smile on her face. Damn, she’s good. I don’t thinkI could have spun a story that solid if I’d had weeks to come up with it. Forget being a flight attendant, she may have missed her calling as a writer.
Two boxes of pizza, six beers, and half a bottle of wine later, we’re all sprawled around the living room, joking and laughing. This has been one of my favorite nights in Sydney so far. I love having my best friend here, and getting to see him and Talia together outside of work and away from Drew makes me think I must be making that whole situation up in my head. Breck is so happy with her—it’s almost nauseating. And other than his obvious nerves over Willow being at her first sleepover, they’re both at ease, comfortable.
The disappointment of Joss and I not being an “item” was a tough pill to swallow for Talia. Though she keeps asking if we’re sure we aren’t together. Probably because I can’t keep myself from touching Joss at every opportunity, not to mention how my heart lurches whenever she reciprocates with a touch of her own.
Now, she’s nestled by my side on the couch. My legs stretched in front of me, propped on the ottoman, while hers extend out across the cushions. She leans against my side, my arm slung on the back of the sofa, her head lightly resting on my chest. She’s been quiet the last few minutes. Leaning down to see if she’s still awake, I take the opportunity to breathe her in—lilac and something that reminds me of the sun and sand, coconut maybe? I could get lost in that scent.
Bringing my gaze across the room to where Breck sits with Talia in his lap, I mouth,Is she asleep?to him. He gives me a little nod and a knowing smile. Talia is bright-eyed and grinning, like she has been all night. I click my tongue and shake my head. Every time the words “just friends” have slipped from my lips tonight, they’ve felt like a lie. She isn’t making this any easier.
We continue to talk for a bit longer while Joss snoozes against me. I bask in the feel of the beautiful woman in my arms. Letting myself imagine, just for a minute, that this could be my life. That we could be this way all the time, that there’s not a ticking clock on all of this, that we want the same things.
When Breck gets up to use the restroom, Joss stirs and looks up at me, her grey eyes hazy with sleep and something else I can’t quite place. I bring my free hand up to cup her cheek and rub my thumb across it, then down to her lips, unable to stop myself. They’re soft and pouty. I want mine there, but that definitely won’t help convince Talia that we’re just friends.
Ugh, those words again.
“You’re tired, Grey. Time for bed?” She nods but holds my gaze a minute longer before trying to push off me. “Oh no you don’t.”
I hold her to me more tightly, then maneuver around so that I can pick her up. She gasps but then lets out a little giggle before leaning her beautiful head against my chest, her eyes closing again.
“Where you going?” Talia asks from behind me as I walk toward the front door with Joss in my arms.
“What?”
I turn around to face her just as Breck walks out of the bathroom, looking me up and down where I stand holding Joss.
“Isn’t your room that way?” Talia points down the hall, toward my bedroom.
Right, Joss is supposed to be staying here for a few days. I can’t take her back to her place right now.
“Right, yeah.”
I brush it off with a laugh but Breck eyes me curiously again. I stalk past him and head straight into my room. It’s the first time I’ve been in here since I left for the pizzas, so I haven’t seen the littletouchesof Joss around the room. I guess she figured her mom might get snoopy tomorrow.
There are twice as many pillows on my bed as there were this morning. The black leather chair in the corner now has a friend in her teal one. The table is tucked between them, looking as though we sit there with our coffee every morning.
Did she drag that thing in here by herself? I picture her doing just that and can’t help the small chuckle that reverberates from my chest.
I lay Joss on the bed, moving some of the new pillows out of the way. I’m not sure if she has a side she prefers, so I put her on the opposite of the one I consider to be mine and sweep the hair off her face. She’s fast asleep again. I can move her to her place after Breck and Talia leave, so I just cover her in the brightly colored throw blanket I find at the foot of the bed. I kiss her forehead, and the twitch of her lips sends mine tugging up at the corners. My heart soars as I look down at her, asleep in my bed, before I walk back out to the living room to say goodbye to my friends.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Joss
The hum of voices drifts through my consciousness from the other side of the bedroom door. It’s just loud enough to keep me from falling into the deep oblivion of sleep that beckons me. With the click of the front door closing, the quiet engulfs me again.
“Hey, beautiful.” The whispered words match the featherlight touch of Wes’s hand moving my hair off my face. I want to sink into that touch. “Do you want me to take you back to your place?”
Do I want that? I reject the idea by burrowing farther into the soft, warm mattress, pulling the blanket closer to my chin. Nope, I don’t want to go anywhere. I just want sleep. A slight shake of my head and a little pout earn me a chuckle from the man by my side.
“Okay, sweetheart.” A brush of lips against my forehead draws a mewling sigh from my lips. Could he stay there, just like that, forever? “I’ll be on the couch if you need me.”
The couch? Why is he going to the couch? My subconscious perks up just enough to tell me that is not where I want him. Of course, I shouldn’t want him at all, but alas, my sleepy mind isn’t functioning at that high a level. My arm, heavy as lead, reaches after him, grabbing his hand in mine.
“Stay. Please.”
Even without opening my eyes, I know he’s debating what he should do.
