I realize I’ve been gripping Simone’s salad bowl anxiously, so I try to relax by moving into the kitchen. Removing the cling film from the bowl, I drop a wooden spoon in with the fruit mixture for serving. I hear the front door opening again, and when I walk back to the living room, Raegan and Jamie are here.
“I let myself in,” Jamie says to no one in particular before getting distracted by the vegetable plate I placed on the coffee table. “Ooo tiny cucumbers.” He bites into one with an emphatic crunch. Raegan scolds him with a playful slap to his bicep, and I look away.
“I thought Joanna would be with you,” I say to Raegan.
She peers at me pointedly as she brushes a stray hair from her face. It’s gotten longer, but not as long as Joanna’s, and much darker. Joanna’s hair is the perfect blend of chestnut brown with natural blonde highlights.
Raegan’s expression turns too curious for my liking, so I school my features to apathy.
“Jo is on her way,” she tells me. “She lost track of time reading, apparently.”
“Was it that vampire book you were telling me about?” Jamie asks.
I try not to show how interested I am in Joanna’s whereabouts by moving pillows out of the way for everyone to sit comfortably.
Raegan responds to Jamie’s question as they sit together on the velvet lounge. “Not the one I’m reading. I picked out something different for her at the bookstore today.” She then casually looks back to me. “She seemed very interested in vampire romance.”
I freeze, clutching a handful of pillows as one falls to the ground out of reach.Joanna’s reading a vampire romance?
Jamie nuzzles her cheek. “Are their werewolf romances?”
“Absolutely,” she says, pressing her nose to his, “but none that compare.”
“Okay I’m out.” Simone stands up, drawing all attention to her. I momentarily forgot anyone else was here. “There’s way too much romantic tension in this room right now. I thought we were going to have girl time while the boys watched the game.”
Raegan frowns, looking guilty. “You’re right. Let’s go into the kitchen while the men discuss…whatever it is they talk about when we’re not here.”
Simone’s demeanor relaxes as she follows Raegan into the kitchen. She stumbles on the fallen pillow and bends to pick it up, placing it on top of the pile I’m holding with a reassuring smile.
There’s a sudden knock at the door, and my heart skips a beat. I rush to stash all the pillows in a closet, forcing them onto a shelf and closing the door hastily. At some point since the start of our arrangement, I’ve developed this odd sensation before seeing Joanna. It’s like nervousness or maybe excitement? I look forward to getting to see her. We’ve fallen into a routine I’m comfortable with, and I’ve enjoyed every second of it, but I still find myself craving more. It’s as if something is missing. I’ve already been as close to her as physically possible, yet it feels like I’m not close enough. There’s another boundary I haven’t been able to cross, and I can’t figure out what it is.
For now, I need to remind myself that I’m happy with our no-strings agreement the way it is. I just have to set aside the complex feelings that are starting to surface if I want to keep it that way.
I make sure to open the door for her before anyone else can. Tonight, she’s wearing casual clothing, just a sweatshirt and what looks to be the bottom half of a jogging suit. Her hair is down around her shoulders. She looks completely at ease, and I’m caught off guard by the sudden desire to hug her. She just looks…soft.
“You made it.” I’m standing in her way, awkwardly gawking, but I can’t make myself move.
She touches her neck nervously, and her lips part. I’m dazed by every move she makes.
Finally, she gestures to the foyer behind me. “I guess I should?—”
“Right.” I step back, but only enough to let her by. Her shoulder brushes against my chest, though it's a fleeting touch, and I pray it will be enough to get me through the night. Except the more space she puts between us, the worse I feel.
I follow her into the den, and she points to the furniture that’s been rearranged. “It looks different,” she starts, then corrects herself, “than I thought it would.”
Ah, yes. No one else knows she’s ever been here.
Luckily, her comment goes right over Jamie and Layton’s heads.
“The, uh, girls are in the kitchen,” I tell her, stumbling over my words.
She nods gratefully and heads into the other room.
I release a heavy sigh as I watch her go. Between the secrecy and my increasing desire to touch her, it’s going to be a long night.
Chapter Sixteen
JOANNA
