“I’ll take them upstairs,” Josie said, hoping Eve would follow so she could have a moment alone with her, but Eve merely nodded before walking over to talk to a member of the film crew.
Fine. She could act like nothing had happened, but she had opened up to Josie on Friday night. She’d held Eve in her arms, had kissed her until she moaned and pulled at Josie’s clothes in desperation. They might not talk about it, but they would both be thinking about it. There wasno wayEve wasn’t thinking about it, no matter how cool and calm she looked right now.
So Josie took the kittens upstairs to her apartment. She set the box in its usual spot in her living room, pausing for a moment to watch them. Now that they were no longer being jostled around in transit, they were in the process of snuggling in an adorable pile to go back to sleep. According to the schedule taped to the side of the box, Eve had fed them an hour ago.
“We’ve got to figure out a new arrangement for you guys,” Josie murmured, reaching in to rub them as they got settled. They needed a bigger living space. Soon, they’d need a litter box and food and water bowls. They couldn’t keep traveling the city with Eve in this box.
Nigel strolled through the room, twining himself around Josie’s legs as if to remind her of his presence. She reached down to rub him.
The distinctive sound of heels on the stairs met her ears, and she turned just as Eve appeared in the doorway. She stopped there, leaning one hip against the doorframe, expression casual. “I just wanted to remind you to act surprised when we shoot our segment downstairs, as if you’re hearing it all for the first time.”
“I know,” Josie told her. “I’m not much of an actress, but I’m sure I can manage to look surprised.”
“Okay.” Eve turned as if to go.
“Wait.” Josie closed the distance between them in several quick steps, not even sure what she was going to say, but once she was standing in front of her, she realized she’d just needed to feel the connection that ran between them whenever they stood this close. It hummed through her, causing goose bumps to pebble her skin as she looked into Eve’s eyes. “You can leave them here this week.”
“What?” Eve’s gaze dropped to Josie’s lips.
“The kittens. Swanson’s is going to be closed all week, so I should have plenty of time to look after them. I need to get them set up in a bigger space anyway, and this way, I can make a new YouTube video about them too.”
“Oh,” Eve said, glancing over Josie’s shoulder at the box of kittens. “Okay.”
“You know, for someone who endlessly harassed me about taking them off your hands, you don’t seem all that excited that I’m finally able to help,” Josie teased, reaching out to thread her fingers through Eve’s.
Eve’s chin went up, a muscle in her jaw clenching. “Believe me, I am.”
“You won’t miss them even a tiny bit?” Josie gave her fingers a squeeze.
“I’ll be so busy this week, I’m not sure how I would have managed them anyway,” Eve said, a deflection if Josie had ever heard one, but she’d never expected Eve to admit being fond of them. Josie didn’t really need to hear her say the words. She’d seen the evidence for herself every time Eve interacted with them.
“Well, you can feel free to stop in and visit us any time.”
“Mm.” Eve’s tongue slid over her bottom lip, pink against pink. Josie tugged at her hand where their fingers were still interlaced, and their bodies swayed together, so close she could feel Eve’s warmth and see the pulse pounding in the hollow of her throat.
Heat bloomed in Josie’s belly, radiating through her core. Her heart thumped wildly against her ribs, and she felt herself leaning closer, drawn to Eve almost against her own will, needing to feel her lips, even if just for a moment.
Eve inhaled sharply, pupils dilating as Josie dipped her head. “Don’t,” she whispered, just before Josie’s lips met hers.
“Eve…”
“I told you, we can’t do this.” Eve’s eyes slid shut, chest heaving, breasts dangerously close to Josie’s on each inhale.
“Not today, anyway.” Josie should take a step back. She knew she should, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“Not today,” Eve echoed. And because she was apparently going to have to be the mature one in this situation, she turned, glancing over her shoulder at Josie as she headed for the stairs. “I’ll see you downstairs for the taping.”
12
“I’m confident we have a winning strategy in place for your relaunch,” Eve told Josie as cameras filmed them from three different angles. Shewasconfident. She never moved forward with a plan she wasn’t one hundred percent sure about. But this was different, because Josie was different. Eve had let herself get personally involved, and now she genuinely cared if Josie liked her plan. More than that, she cared whether or not Josie succeeded.
“I trust you,” Josie said, green flecks in her eyes gleaming with the reflection of the canopy lights in front of her. She was acting, putting on a show for the cameras, but there was something incredibly earnest in her expression at the same time. “And I’m really excited about your vision for Dragonfly.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Cut,” her director called. “That should do it. I think we’ve got everything we need.”
Eve nodded, leaning over to put her notes away. Across from her, Josie slumped against the bar, a silly grin on her face. “That was exhausting.”
