Edie gave a quick nod and got to work. With his arms over his head to keep the makeshift repair in place, the hem of Josh’s shirt lifted, exposing tanned skin and a taut section of stomach. She tried to keep her eyes on the roll of duct tape, but when he shifted and the fabric lifted even higher, she couldn’t keep from gawking.
Josh was attractive. She’d felt that way since the first day she’d met him when she had glimpsed him out her window. And today, that pull was even stronger, his close proximity making her heart stir even more than before.
He looked down at Edie, now frozen in place with a long flap of tape stuck to her fingers.
“How’s the tape going down there?” he said, a touch of flirtation in his words.
“It’s a bit of a sticky situation.”
“Here.” He stretched up on his toes to press one palm flat to the ceiling, reaching down with the other to help Edie with the section of tape.
But instead of untangling the sticky strip, his own fingers got caught in the long piece, too.
“Maybe if I…” She peeled more of the tape from the spool, but it only added to their currently tangled situation.
“Let’s just tear that off and we’ll start over.”
Why was Edie like this? Suddenly all tangled in knots.
She brought the roll of tape, along with both of their hands, up to her mouth to rip the section with her teeth. It solved theproblem with the roll but didn’t free their hands. They stayed together. Stuck together.
This had definitely become a two-person job.
Josh let go of the tarp over his head. It fell to the bed, clattering as the hose and funnel hit the bucket.
Even more water leaked from above now, a steady stream that fell over them like a light rainfall.
“You take that part.” He motioned for one end of the tape. “And I’ll take this. Go ahead and pull.”
It shouldn’t have taken as long as it did, but they finally freed the cumbersome tape with a good yank. Their hands, though? They stayed gripped together.
Edie’s eyes moved to them. Josh’s followed.
It felt good to hold his hand. To feel his strong fingers and knuckles woven with hers. She brought them up between them.
“We should probably fix this ceiling,” Josh said, but the quieter tone and softer volume didn’t hint at any sense of urgency.
“Yeah.” Edie swallowed. Something fluttered in her stomach as a shiver sprinted down her spine. It could have been the chill from the water, but she doubted it. It definitely had more to do with Josh and the tender way he looked at her while they continued to hold each other’s hand. The way his brows pinched together like he was attempting to repress something. Her breathing was as shaky as her voice when she said, “We should.”
Then it happened before she could stop it. But maybe she was the one to start it. She couldn’t be sure. It was as though they moved toward each other in unison, drawn together at the same moment.
A flash of panic crossed her face, but it didn’t stay there long. Because Josh’s lips were soon on hers, so earnest and welcome. They’d never kissed before, not that she hadn’t wanted to. She’d thought about it often. The way his full lips might feel coveringher mouth. The way his dimples might prick into his cheeks with a sweet smile after they pulled apart. The way his warm body would feel against her, so strong, solid, and sure.
Her imaginations weren’t far off.
One thing she hadn’t accounted for was her pulse that now made her dizzy with need. And the water raining down on them. That hadn’t been in any of her fantasies.
Kissing under a leak in her ceiling, standing in the middle of her bed was not the location nor the scenario.
But it was perfect.
Perfect in the way Josh brought his hands to her face to cup her jaw within his gentle grasp. Perfect in the way he moved his mouth against hers, giving and taking in a rhythm they both quickly found and followed. Perfect in the little sounds of appreciation he made when she pressed her palms to his chest and leaned closer to him. Craving more. Needing more.
“Edie,” he murmured against her cheek when he briefly pulled away for breath. The way he uttered her name was filled with so much emotion, longing, and desire that her knees went to mush. “God, I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”
She had too. And she didn’t want it to stop.
She took the collar of his shirt between her fingers and drew his mouth back onto her own.
