Shoving out of his seat, he slammed back the rest of his beer, then tossed his mug back on the table, garnering a reaction from every single person in the place.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Yep,” I nodded, drinking the last of my own beer.
And then something cold and smelling suspiciously like strawberries splashed against my face. “Jerk.”
“Milo!”
I watched from my window as Josie chased Milo around the yard, trying to get him to go back inside so she could leave for work. A small smile spread across my lips as I watched the dog taunt her with the idea that she might win, only to run away at the last minute.
“Milo, I have to get to work!” she shouted, her yelling loud enough to penetrate the windows of my house. She must be pissed this morning.
And I wondered how much of that had to do with me. Taking a step back, I ran my fingers through my hair and pretended that the woman outside was nothing more than another neighbor.
But that wasn’t true. It would never be true, no matter how much I tried to tell myself the opposite.
“You know, you could just go apologize,” Alyssa said from behind me.
I hadn’t realized she was even up. Either I was getting really bad at my job, or I was too relaxed around my sister. Neither one of those things was good.
“I’m taking off. Don’t burn the house down,” I said, snatching my bag off the floor.
But before I could leave, she rushed forward and grabbed my arm. “I’m worried about you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve never seen you want a woman like you want her.”
I couldn’t hide a damn thing from Alyssa. She knew me too well. But that didn’t mean I was going to admit anything.
“I should only be gone a few days. If you need anything?—”
“I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.”
I hesitated, almost blurted out something that would definitely piss her off, but thought better of it at the last minute. And based on the look she shot me, she was well aware of what was going on in my head.
“Just be safe,” she said, instead of lecturing me about my inability to keep my mouth shut when things got heated. She had no idea how much I needed her to tell me that yesterday.
“I will. And call Cheyenne about that apartment.”
“So ready to get rid of me?” she teased, but I saw the insecurity in her eyes.
Walking over to her, I pulled her into my arms and held her tight. “Believe it or not, I want you in my life. Just not in myhouse. Kind of puts a damper on things when I bring women home.”
“Josie,” she corrected.
Pressing a kiss to her cheek, I stepped back and tried to convey just how much I wanted her around. “I’m glad you’re here. Don’t run out while I’m gone.”
“I make no guarantees,” she teased.
Grabbing my bag, I headed out the door, ignoring my neighbor trying to wrangle the dog. But that only lasted until I was in the truck. As soon as that door slammed, my eyes found her.
And she was staring right at me.
No, glaring.
Fuck, I had really screwed things up with her. Not that I would take back a word of what I said. Probably.
