by Staci Hart
But as her heart slowed down, her brain piped up, rolling over everything, wondering what had just happened. It was strange and weird and wonderful, and she wanted to know what happened between him and Tori. Uncertainty flitted around her head, but as much as she tried to shoo the thoughts away, they buzzed incessantly to the beat of their feet on the pavement.
Jon’s heart drummed in his chest, and giddiness kicked his stomach into a somersault. He tried not to grin, he really did, but he could have picked Josie up and run around Hell’s Kitchen with her over his shoulder, whooping like a maniac. She said yes, and they were walking down 42nd together. He was aware of every point where their bodies touched, most notably where her hand rested against his ribs under his jacket. He wondered if he were dreaming. It had almost been too easy. The look on her face had been priceless as he walked up the stairs to kiss her, like a deer in headlights, but nothing in the world compared to that kiss.
“So, what happened with Tori?” There was a hint of doubt in the question, and he smiled wider, knowing once she started thinking about it, the questions would start. He angled his head to press a kiss into her hair before answering.
“Tori and I have been over for a long while. It’s just that we both found the guts to admit it to each other. Neither one of us have been happy, not for some time.”
“You were together for a long time, Jon. You live together. Are you sure she’s okay with … this?”
He chuckled. “She hounded me to come talk to you today. We have her blessing. In fact, if I hadn’t come over, she would have nagged me until I did.”
“You don’t think that’s a little weird?”
Jon frowned. “I suppose it could be, but it’s not for me. Is it weird for you?”
She paused, and her voice was smaller than he would have liked when she answered. “A little.”
He pulled them to a stop and looked down into her big, brown eyes. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, Jo. It’s just that I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. Tori and I broke up a week ago, and I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we ended things. I just didn’t want to hurt Tori by jumping into something with you too soon. I wanted to give her time, but she practically pulled a gun on me to convince me she was serious about coming over here today. I’ve had time to get used to the idea of you and me, but if you’re not ready…”
She relaxed and shook her head. “I just didn’t think it would ever happen. I don’t want to wait, so if you say no one is going to get hurt, then I’ll believe you.”
Jon touched her cheek. “I’d never hurt you on purpose, Jo.”
She smiled and tipped her chin, angling her lips at his. “Then I believe you.”
He slipped his hand into her hair, soft as silk, as he brought his lips to hers, pulled her against his chest and slipped his free hand under her jacket. Her body was flush against his, and as the kiss deepened, he realized something very important and pulled away.
“Are you wearing a bra?” he said with a chuckle.
She flushed and laughed. “Nope. Annie drank all the milk, and I really wanted a bowl of Froot Loops.”
He nuzzled into her neck, smiling as squeezed her. “You oughta take me to Atlantic City because I am a very lucky man today.”
Josie leaned into him, humming as he kissed her neck, and he pulled away, wanting to see her face. He wanted to know what made her smile and moan, was ready to learn every expression, every sound, and commit it to memory.
He kissed her softly. “Stop distracting me with your lips and bralessness.”
She smiled up at him. “Stop being a charming bastard.”
Jon shrugged and pulled her into his side once more. “It’s my curse.”
———— Olympus ————
Perry giggled from Dita’s couch. “That is adorable.”
Dita clicked off her TV and shifted on the couch to lean against the arm, slipping her feet into Perry’s lap. “Voila.”
“How did you get Jon and Tori to break up?”
“Wasn’t hard. They were teetering on the edge,” she said with a shrug. “I put the magic on Tori and a guy she works with. They’ve been swooning all week over each other. And I might have moved Jon’s boots just a little bit so she’d trip on them.”
Perry snorted.
“It was that fragile. They broke up over Jon’s boots.”
“It’s kind of sad. Why not break up ages ago?”
Dita shrugged. “Too sticky, and they were happy enough. But Jon and Josie want to be together. It was time for all of them, and honestly, I didn’t have to do much. They were one lingering touch away from getting together, and now they can be happy.”
“Well, way to go.”
“Best job ever.” Dita watched Jon and Josie walk down the sidewalk, carving another notch on her metaphorical bedpost. Another match made, another happy couple. They’d be nearly impossible to split up. Aphrodite’s blessing was strong enough to weather almost anything, and Dita patted herself on the back, closing the door on them, turning her attention elsewhere.
———— New York ————
An hour and a half later, Josie followed Jon up the stairs to her apartment, dreading saying goodbye, even though it would only be for a few hours. She was anxious, like it was midnight and her carriage was about to turn into a pumpkin. Too good to be true.
He stopped outside of her door and handed her one of the small boxes of donuts for Anne with a smile. “I’ll be here to pick you up at eight for dinner. Wear a dress.”
“Hey. Don’t tell me what to do,” she joked and poked him in the chest, but he grabbed her and pulled her into him.
“You say that now.” He lowered his face to run his nose up her neck, to her ear, his breath hot against her skin.
She shuddered. “Tonight seems like a very long time from now,” she whispered.
“It’ll be here before you know it,” he said, the words letting butterflies loose in her stomach. He kissed her on the cheek and backed away. “I’ll see you tonight, Josie.”
“All right, Jon.”
He flashed a parting smile at her before turning to go, and she leaned on the door frame, watching him walk away until he was out of sight.
Josie dug in her jacket pocket for her keys and unlocked the door with her head spinning. She tossed her keys on the coffee table next to the donuts.
“Annie?” Josie heard the shower running and made her way through the apartment, tossing her jacket on the back of the couch on the way to the bathroom. The door was open only a crack, and she pushed it open. The humidity hit her like a wall, and Anne pulled the curtain to the big claw foot tub back.
Her auburn hair was piled on her head, covered in suds. She rapid-fired questions like a machine gun. “What was that all about? What did he need? Where have you been?”
Josie couldn’t hold back her smile. “He wanted to ask me out.”
Anne’s mouth popped open, and her eyebrows nearly hit her hairline. “What?”
She nodded and sat down on the toilet lid. “He and Tori broke up, and he came over to ask me on a date. I brought you some donuts, by the way.”
“First date donuts? I feel like he should have splurged for steak or something.”
Josie laughed and shook her head. “We’re going out tonight, and I was instructed to wear a dress.”
“A dress?” She shook her head before closing the shower curtain and rinsing off her hair. “I cannot even deal with this right now, Jo.” Anne turned the squeaky faucet until the water stopped, and her arm appeared when she reached for a towel. “How are you so calm right now?”
“I am and I’m not.” She twisted her hair up, tying it in a knot that almost immediately began to slip. “I don’t know how to explain it. I mean, it’s Jon. Jon is single. Single! I didn’t think that was something that would ever happen.”
“But you wanted him to be.” Anne giggled.
“Either that or I needed h
im to leave me alone, because the flirting was killing me.”
“I told you things must not have been okay with him and Tori.” Anne wrapped the towel around her torso and tucked the tail between her boobs.
“Well, you were right, I guess.” Josie sat on the toilet with her eyes out of focus.
“For a PI, you’re really dense when it comes to him.”
“Luckily I have you.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” Anne picked up a comb and ran it through her hair. “What are you going to wear?”
“God, I don’t even know. A date. I haven’t been on a date in forever.”
“Yeah, since about the time you met Jon. Go figure.”
“Ha, ha. I haven’t met anyone worth dating since then. It’s just a coincidence.”
Anne rolled her eyes. “Sure. Come with me. I have just the thing.”
Josie picked herself up and followed Anne to her bedroom. Anne stopped in front of her closet, which looked like a bomb had gone off in it.
“Hmm,” she said as she flipped through hangers in her towel, crowing when she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a cobalt blue dress that Josie knew to be skin tight and extremely short.
Josie raised an eyebrow. “Don’t I remember you causing an actual collision the last time you wore that dress?”
Anne shrugged. “We caught the guy, didn’t we?”
“Details, right?”
“You have to wear this.” Anne held it out.
Josie took it with a huff. “God, you’re so bossy.”
“You need to get laid. This dress will get you laid. By Jon.” She squealed, and Josie broke out in giggles.
“Jesus Christ, Anne. I’m a goddamn mess.”
“I know,” she said and patted Josie’s arm. “I’ll make myself scarce tonight since you probably can’t go to his place.”
Josie squirmed. “Ugh, I’m not ready to talk about that.”
“Okay, well, start with the date and work your way up to his living arrangements. After the sexing. Definitely do the sex first.”
Truly
JON COULDN’T TAKE HIS EYES off Josie as she sat across from him in the dim dining room, her copper hair falling in dark waves over her shoulders, shining like a penny in the candlelight flickering from the table. She slipped a fork topped with a bite of soufflé into her mouth, and his eyes locked on her red lips as she pulled it out slow with a little moan. It might have been one of the sexiest sounds he’d ever heard.
“God, that’s so good,” she said, and he smiled, taking another bite for himself.
The date had been filled with affable conversation, and even though their nerves were just under the surface, there was an ease about the date now that the tension was gone along with the angst. There was no grace period, no waiting to get know each other. No mystery. It was comforting, to know her well enough to not worry about what she thought of him. He already knew.
The nerves came into play when he thought about the next move, and it was clear what the move was, assumed simply by both of them.
He watched her long fingers as she took another bite. Her dress was an electric shade of blue, dark and bright against her dove-white skin. It hugged every curve he longed to touch, short enough that her legs seemed to go on forever with help from black platform stilettos.
The waiter dropped the check, and Jon swiped it before Josie had a chance to set down her fork.
“Jon,” she warned, pursing her lips.
“Nope.” He slipped his card into the check presenter.
“I don’t need you to buy my dinner.”
“I never suggested you did, but if you think I’d ever in a million years let you buy your dinner tonight, you’re crazy.”
She blushed and opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off.
“Just say thank you.”
Her red lips pressed into a smile as the waiter picked up the check. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for coming with me.”
“Would you let me say no?”
He chuckled. “Josie, no one makes you do a damn thing you don’t want to, and I wasn’t sure you’d say yes.”
“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow.
Jon nodded. “All this time I’d convinced myself that you didn’t want anything from me besides friendship.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe that. You can’t fake that level of confidence.”
“It was a show. It always is. I’m not nearly as sure of myself as you might think, but I knew for certain the other day you wanted more. If I’d kissed you, I think you would have let me.”
“I would have probably pulled my gun on you.”
He smiled. “But you would have let me kiss you first.”
She smirked. “Against my better judgment, yes. I would have.”
“Most days, I thought I was imagining that you wanted me.”
“Most days, I wanted to flip a table because I was tired of you teasing me with something I couldn’t have.”
“You know, I didn’t know I was doing it.”
“That’s horrible, Jon,” she said with a laugh.
He shrugged. “What I mean is that I didn’t mean to lead you on. I told myself flirting was safe. It was a game, especially when I saw I could get under your skin. You’re too easy to rile, you know that?”
“It’s my big brother’s favorite pastime.”
Jon leaned toward her, clasping his hands loosely in front of him, looking into Josie’s big eyes. “You know, I don’t know when things got off track with Tori. I just didn’t think it was right to leave her for someone else, but I probably should have done it, given how I feel about you. I just couldn’t sort it out. Attraction is one thing, but when do you take that next step? How do you know it’s more? My feelings for you are all wrapped up in my job, our friendship, and I couldn’t untangle it, not until I realized that Tori and I were through.”
She nodded and reached across the table for his hand with her eyes down, watching as she fiddled with his fingers. “I’ve been trying to bury my own feelings forever. After the other day, I made Anne swear she’d stop calling you for help. She was doing it on purpose, you know … trying to get us together.”
He rested his free hand on her wrist, and she twisted it around to thread her fingers in his. “I’m glad she did.”
The waiter slipped the closed-out bill onto the table, interrupting them, and Jon reluctantly pulled away from her to sign it.
When he looked back up at her, her eyes were hot, her lips smiling as she shrugged on her leather jacket. “Let’s get out of here.”
Jon smiled. “I’ve been waitin’ to hear those words all night.” He stood and took her hand, pulling her to stand. Her eyes connected with his for a long moment as he guided her hand into the crook of his elbow and rested his fingers over hers.
They made their way outside, and Josie clutched her jacket closed when the chill hit her. She leaned into Jon’s solid body, grateful for his warmth and steady arm as she used a large portion of brainpower to stay upright in her heels, cursing Anne for talking her into them. Though she had to admit, the look on his face when he saw her had been worth it.
Jon stopped at the curb and pressed a kiss into her hair before stepping into the street to hail a cab with a sharp whistle. A yellow taxi pulled up, and Jon opened the door for her before extending a hand to help her in. He winked at her as she slid in, and her permagrin didn’t budge. The warmth of the cab doubled when he slipped in behind her, pulling her close as he gave the driver her address. She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes, breathing him in.
He rested his hand high on her thigh, shifting his thumb absently for a long, content moment.
“This might be the longest cab ride of my life,” he whispered.
Josie lifted her face to his. His smile telegraphed what he felt, and she was certain hers matched. “We’re almost there. Anne’s out tonight.”
“Mmmm,” he murmured, running his nose ag
ainst hers. He kissed her softly, sweetly, with her chin between his fingers, and she closed her eyes, committing the feeling of his lips, her heart, to memory.
The cab pulled to a stop when they reached her building, and Jon paid the driver. Josie tried to catch her breath as she slid across the bench seat and took Jon’s hand. He pulled with just enough force to help her out, and her heels hit the pavement with a click. When she stepped onto the curb, he tugged her hand, scooping her into his chest to kiss her again. But his lips were insistent, the control from the cab fading away. Her arms found their way around his neck, her fingers in his hair, their bodies flush as he squeezed her waist and straightened, picking her up. Her toes dangled off the ground, and she giggled like mad.
Jon put her feet back on the ground, and she dragged him to the door, smiling back at him over her shoulder. He reached around her and opened her door for her again.
She curtsied. “Much obliged, Mr. Landreaux.”
“My pleasure, ma’am,” he said with a tip of an imaginary hat. If she’d been wearing panties, they would have combusted.
As they made their way up the stairs, the giddiness slipped into something more unstable. Josie dug for her keys to keep her hands busy. It was about to happen. Jon was about to happen. She took a deep breath, and he touched the small of her back as they approached her door.
A shock bolted through her at his touch, and she smiled over at him to hide it. She slipped her key in the door, focusing her attention on getting inside without losing her composure.
“I’m nervous too.” His thumb circled as he said the words.
“Really?” She looked up at him and saw the truth. He was just as scared as she was.
“Truly.”
She sighed, more relieved than embarrassed, though her cheeks heated up as she opened the door to the dark apartment. “I don’t want to disappoint you. It’s been a long time for me, Jon.” It was a quiet confession, and she pulled off her jacket, not wanting to meet his eyes. But he took her coat and tossed it on the couch, laid his hands on her arms and turned her around to face him.
