Chapter Eleven
TATE
You.
All my rational thoughts burned up in the fire of my kiss with Josie while I tried to cling to the thinnest thread of reason.
Josie was my friend, and we shared a betrayal. I was over it and believed she was too, but I knew gossip could burn like a wildfire in our small town. I also had my daughter to consider. Who slept literally like the dead and whose bedroom was downstairs, away from mine. I tried to kick those worries away.
Maybe I could barely think over the fierce need inside, but I couldn’t fuck this up. This was Josie.
Her eyes flashed as she shifted restlessly on her feet. She lifted her chin, the dare contained in her gaze like the lash of a whip cracking between us. “I. Want. You.”
Reluctantly, and with my body shouting out in protest, I forced myself to step back. I could feel the throb of my pulse in my cock.
“I want you,” I said flatly as I grabbed another slender thread of control. “But I don’t want to mess things up. You’re my friend. Are you going to freak out if this happens with us?”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
So much of this was beyond my control. Even though we hadn’t gone further yet, I knew if I buried myself inside Josie, there would be no turning back. I’d known her for as long as I could remember and trusted her completely. For years, she’d been off-limits in my mind. There hadn’t been any spark there, or so I’d thought.
But seeing her a decade later—older, wiser, and a little more vulnerable—I desired to take care of her. I wanted to make her forget everything but me. I knew it could be really good between us, even if I didn’t know how that would play out.
“I want you. Maybe I should play it cool and pretend it’s just physical, but I know you too well. I knowustoo well. I’m not crazy. I’m not promising you forever this very second, but I think we could have something really good. Maybe we should see what happens.”
She was silent for long enough that I started to regret being so direct. But then, she startled me when she nodded. “I think you might have a point.”
“What does that mean?”
When another silence stretched between us, I added, “If you want to stop this right now and think about it, that’s totally fine. You can have my bedroom, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Josie shook her head before I even finished talking. “Why are you shaking your head?”
“Because I don’t need to think.”
We stared at each other for several long seconds, and an inexplicable smile slowly stretched across my face when her lips curled up at the corners.
“Is this crazy?” she whispered.
“I don’t think so. It’s not like we don’t know each other well.”
“I don’t usually do this. In fact, I haven’t dated or anything for…” Her lips pinched at the corners before she let out a sharp sigh. “Over three years. It’s really hard to have a relationshipwhen I’m so busy with training, and trust is kind of a problem for me.”
My heart twisted at the flash of pain and cynicism in her gaze. “Do you trust me?” I asked.
Her eyes held mine as she nodded. “Of course I trust you. What if it gets weird?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
She caught the bottom corner of her lip and worried it.
“If you’re not sure…” I began.
She took a step to close the distance between us and placed her palm on my chest. “I’m not sure about a lot of things, but I’m sure about this.” She leaned up and pressed a kiss under my jawline. My pulse lunged and blood shot straight to my already throbbing cock.
I slid my hand through her silky hair, lightly cupping her nape as I studied her eyes. She had a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were wide and dark with passion. I wanted her. All of her.
I finally gave in to the urge to kiss her. I loved the way her mouth opened for me, the way she was so ready, the way she didn’t hesitate. Her tongue tangled with mine, and she made these tiny little sounds in her throat that drove me fucking wild.
