Trent grinned, showing off a set of white teeth that would have made a shark proud. “Is that him?”
“Him?” I echoed, still watching Josh on the other side of the room. He was now chatting with Ashlyn who looked lovely in royal blue. “What do you mean?”
“The guy. The one I’m supposed to be making jealous tonight. I know all about it.”
Oh, he did? That was news. It sounded like I needed to have a talk with my older sister, especially if she thought that throwing around my personal business to practical strangers was a good idea.
Dragging my gaze away from Josh, I finally looked up at my date. “Just what is it that you think you know?”
“There’s a guy you like and you need me to make him jealous. Don’t worry, babe. I’ve got it covered. He’ll be wishing he was me before the night’s over. If he already doesn’t, that is.”
Yep, a healthy ego on this one. Why on God’s green earth would Josh Henry be jealous of Trent? He was just as successful and just as handsome. He also knew when to laugh at a joke, which was far more important than looks.
And did he just call me babe? WTF? I was beginning to see why good old Trent didn’t have a date.
“You don’t need to do anything,” I assured him, not sure what this guy had in mind. “We’ll just have a good time tonight. Don’t worry about him.”
Trent reached for my glass which I wasn’t happy to give up, but I didn’t want to make a scene. He placed it on a table and then grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the dance floor.
“The fun starts right now. Let’s dance.”
A guy who danced couldn’t be all bad. I just might enjoy this party.
* * *
Josh
Mia was dancing with her date who I had learned from Ashlyn was Brad’s best friend and soon to be best man. How convenient. The maid of honor and the best man. It would have made a cute movie.
“Mia looks amazing tonight.”
Luke had sidled up next to me, a bottle of beer in his hand. As usual, he looked like he didn’t have a care or worry in the world. He’d never admit it but he loved getting dressed up and going to parties, although he pretended to hate it. Every chance he could get, he had Rachel putting on her dancing shoes and attending some sort of fundraiser for charity.
“All the ladies look lovely this evening.”
I sure as hell wasn’t going to admit that I’d been watching Mia for most of the night. She did look incredible tonight in a gold dress that showed off her shapely legs. Legs which were currently on the dance floor with that guy. I’d been told his name was Trent and he was far too good-looking and smooth. I’d gone to college with guys like that who had too much money and not enough sense. He certainly oozed confidence and that appeared to be attractive to several of the women here but to me he looked arrogant as shit. Mia could do better.
“I wasn’t talking about all the women. I was talking about Mia. What’s the problem? Don’t you think she looks gorgeous?”
Finally turning to look at my brother, I saw the smirk that I was expecting. He was enjoying this.
“I do.”
“And she’s not our little sister, either.”
“No, she’s not.”
“So there’s no reason to feel guilty about how attractive we find her.”
“We?”
Luke took another draw from his bottle. “Well, me in a completely innocent happily married man kind of way and you in a…probably much less innocent single guy way.”
Luke had no idea the thoughts I’d been having about our former neighbor, and he wouldn’t hear about them from me.
Trent’s hand strayed down and brushed Mia’s pert rear end. Fuck no. But then maybe it was just an accident. That could happen. Sometimes a guy didn’t know where to put his hands–
Shit, the asshole did it again. That was no accident. Just some smarmy jerk who thought he was God’s gift to women. He was whispering something in Mia’s ear that had him grinning but Mia didn’t seem to think it was entertaining. She wasn’t smiling which was highly unusual.
I’d been watching this for too long. I’d had enough. I was literally hot under the collar, my neck red with anger. Trent needed a break from dancing.
With a growl, I shoved my bottle into Luke’s free hand. “Hold my beer.”
Striding toward Mia and her date, I could hear my brother laughing and saying, “I love those words. Something fun always follows.”
Let’s hope I wouldn’t end up as part of the Darwin Awards after tonight.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Mia
Handsy. Trent was getting far too handsy and if he touched my ass cheek one more time I was going to break those fingers that were wandering too far from where they should be. All the while, he was telling me about how much money he had and how successful he was. His breath had the distinct odor of whiskey and I was betting he’d had more than one. He was, frankly, full of himself. Shelby was going to get an earful about this tomorrow. If she was ever planning to fix me up on a date again, she’d better do her homework first. This night was heading for an iceberg.
A man who danced wasn’t worth all the crap I was dealing with.
So it was real relief I felt when Josh tapped on Trent’s shoulder to cut in.
“Do you mind?”
Trent looked like he wanted to say no, which was insane because by his own admission this was what he was there for…to get Josh to want to intervene. Not that I fooled myself that Josh was jealous. He probably was just being polite. We’d danced at my parents’ twenty-five year anniversary party, too. I remembered that night like it was yesterday. I was a gawky teenager and Josh had been like a prince, leading me around the dance floor despite my lack of grace. Hopefully I’d improved in the ensuing years.
Trent let go of my hand reluctantly. “I suppose one dance is okay. I’ll see if Brad wants to have a drink.”
Goody, more alcohol. That should improve his personality.
Pulling me into his arms, Josh glanced over his shoulder at Trent’s retreating figure. “I only just met that guy but I already don’t like him. But maybe that’s just me.”
Laughter bubbled from my lips at his sardonic tone. “Well, at least you’re open-minded about it.”
“It’s just that he really doesn’t look like your type.”
The music was soft and slow, and Josh’s fingers were pressed into the small of my back, sending all sorts of tingles up my spine. He smelled delicious and I had to fight the urge to press my face to his jacket and inhale deeply. The warmth from his body scorched my skin through the flimsy silk of my dress and I wondered if I could see that flesh right now if there would be a physical mark. A reminder for later when I was all alone and we were tucked up in our separate beds.
Remembering that Trent was supposed to be my boyfriend, I couldn’t say that he wasn’t my type in the least. That he was a jerk and the evening couldn’t end soon enough. Shelby had got me into this mess but now I had to keep up the charade.
“Really? What would be my type?”
I wanted to hear his answer. It would say a great deal about what Josh thought about me.
“Not that guy. I guess I pictured you with someone who is…nice. I never thought you’d go for someone so obvious.”
“Obvious?”
“Looks and money.” Josh cast another glance sideways to where Trent and Brad were making a toast with some of their other friends. “I would have bet you’d be the type to want someone deeper than our friend over there.”
This was fascinating. Clearly Josh thought I was nice and deep. Not a bad combination, unless he was looking for a woman opposite of that.
“What about you?” The question was out before I could zip my lips firmly closed. “What’s your type?”
It was an asinine question because I already knew. I’d seen him with too many women to count over the years.
He hesitated, his steps to the music slowing slightly almost as if he didn’t want to
stumble while he thought of an answer. His palm pressed into my back and he leaned down to whisper in my ear.
“Can we get some air? It’s getting hot in here.”
Boy howdy, I couldn’t agree more. With every brush of Josh’s body as we’d moved across the dance floor my arousal had spiraled higher and higher. If we’d kept it up I might have melted into a puddle at his highly shined shoes.
Letting him lead me out of the party, I caught my sister watching us out of the corner of my eye. She raised her champagne flute in salute as we went by and I almost turned and stuck out my tongue. Suddenly this whole man trap plan seemed far-fetched and wholly out of the question.
But I’ve changed. I go after what I want now. I can’t keep sitting back and hoping for something that will never happen. I have to be proactive. I have to be a woman of action.
It was the how that I was unsure about. I wanted Josh but I didn’t want to trick him into falling for me. I wanted him to do it because of who I am.
This must not have been Josh’s first time in this hotel because he’d found a lovely glassed-in room that was perfect for this time of the year. Closed in so the cold wouldn’t get to us, but open so that we could see the stars. It was quite romantic. There wasn’t another person in sight. Just the two of us and we sat down on a loveseat, his thigh brushing against mine. Luckily, I’d had literally years of practice being this close and not showing how much I wanted to reach out and touch him.
My heart pounded so loudly I was sure he could hear along with everyone else in the hotel, including the parking valet out front. I didn’t want to sweat in this very expensive dress but it was sheer torture waiting for him to say something. Anything. The tension between us had never been this thick.
“Ever since that robbery you were in I’ve been thinking about you. What if something bad happened to you?”
Slowly exhaling to calm my jangled nerves, I did the unthinkable. I reached out and placed my hand on his. If I wanted him to see me in a new light, then I had to do things I didn’t do before.
He didn’t pull his hand away. To my utter shock, he laced our fingers together, holding on to me tightly. My chest tightened painfully and I could barely take a full breath. So full of emotion at that moment, I had to blink back the tears that I absolutely couldn’t let him see. I was fully prepared for Josh’s friendship, even his indifference. But this tenderness was something that I’d never expected. His expression was tortured with thoughts of what might have happened. I couldn’t say that I too hadn’t been plagued with bad dreams of what might have been but I hadn’t expected this.
“But I’m fine. Nothing did happen.”
I wanted desperately to tell him that I’d changed but I wasn’t sure he’d understand. Josh had always gone after whatever he wanted without hesitation.
“But something could have. What would I do without you? You and Luke are my best friends.”
A lump lodged itself in my throat and I couldn’t reply. I wouldn’t know what to say so it might be for the best. Josh and I had grown closer as the years had gone by but not once until this moment had he ever referred to me as his best friend, equating me with his brother.
Bittersweet. That’s how it felt.
Sweet that he had such deep feelings for me. Bitter that they were the wrong ones. I wanted his love but I would have to settle for his friendship. Overcome by the tension between us, my own heart cracked open, spilling almost thirty years of emotion that I had bottled up so he would never see. Lips trembling, I opened my mouth to tell him just how much he meant to me. How much he would always mean to me.
I had no idea how I’d kept it a secret all of this time. Every cell of my body was urging me to tell him the truth, tell him how much I loved him. How I’d loved him for years and could he ever feel the same for me? If there was ever a time to spill my guts it was now, when his hands were holding mine so tightly as if I might disappear if he let go.
Raising my head to admit the feelings that I’d been hiding I was quickly silenced by the sheer emotion etched in the lines of his face. He’d been torturing himself with images of the worst-case scenario. Without thinking, I reached up and laid my palm on his cheek as a way to soothe the tumult I could see in his blue gaze. I was here and I was okay. That’s what we needed to concentrate on.
His cheek was slightly rough under my fingertips. Josh had shaved before he came but already he had a slight shadow on his jaw. I couldn’t stop myself from caressing it even though I didn’t have any business doing so. That was for women like Trisha the Terrific, not Mia the best friend.
I tried to speak again. “Josh, I–”
I didn’t get any further and I didn’t care. Josh’s lips had crashed onto mine and we were kissing as if our very lives depended on it. My fingers threaded in his hair, soft and silky and in contrast to his stubble-roughened cheek. His tongue ran across my bottom lip requesting access and I didn’t think twice, granting it immediately. This was my dream come true.
Shelby just might have a bestseller on her hands if that stupid book worked for everyone the way it had worked for me. I was officially out of the friend zone as of now. Hallelujah. I swear I could hear angels sing as our lips pressed together and our tongues played a sensual game of tag. The temperature in the room had soared and I was probably beginning to sweat through my dress shields. I didn’t care. A dress was a small price to pay.
As quickly as it had begun it was over.
Josh raised his head, his expression…shocked? Scared? Dumbstruck? I couldn’t tell exactly but it wasn’t the blissed-out reaction that I was hoping for. My own euphoria was quickly dissolving as the reality of it all was washing over me. He wasn’t happy about what had happened.
“Jesus, Mia. I’m sorry…shit…I shouldn’t have done that.”
Wrong. You should have done it years ago.
What was I supposed to say? Act like it was no big deal? Inside I could feel my heart shattering into a million tiny pieces but there was no way I was going to let him know. I would walk away with a little bit of dignity. Somehow.
“Then why did you do it?”
The turmoil inside had the words coming out more aggressively than I’d planned and Josh blanched, finally releasing my hands and backing away a few inches. The steamy temperature that had surrounded us just minutes ago had plunged and I shivered from the cold, rubbing my arms where goosebumps had risen.
“I–I have no excuse. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that.”
I wasn’t in the mood to be magnanimous. It was like I’d been plunged into a bathtub full of icy water.
“You didn’t answer my question. Why did you do it then?”
He shook his head whether to deny that he hadn’t answered my query or to say that he wasn’t planning to answer.
“I’m really sorry, Mia. I was way out of line.”
Okay, it was the latter. He either didn’t know why he did it, or he did and he wasn’t talking.
Moonlight, stars, a pretty girl. Was Josh that shallow?
“I guess I was just an amusement in between girlfriends.”
I wanted to hit out and hurt him like he’d hurt me. Hey, I’m not proud of it but I’m only fucking human and I was bleeding to death here. My chest cut open and my heart ripped out and stomped on a few thousand times. I was going to kill Shelby and her stupid book because this was far worse. To have a taste of what it could be like and then lose it…
It was a nightmare.
“No. No, not at all.” He was shaking his head again, the color high in his cheeks. “It was…shit, I don’t know. You look so beautiful tonight, Mia, and I kept thinking about losing you…”
“So you kissed me?”
I stood then, not wanting to prolong this fruitless conversation. His words were not making it better.
Scraping his fingers through his dark curls, he sighed heavily and looked down at the floor.
“It feels like I don’t know what I’m doing lately. Please for
give me, Mia. Yell at me. Slap my face and call me names. But please, I don’t want to lose you.”
A woman can only take so much and I was exhausted. Loving Josh was wearing me out. I needed a break, if only to the bar for a strong drink. Maybe several.
“Josh, you’ve never had me to lose.”
Then I turned on my stiletto and walked back to the party with my head held high. Josh could break my heart but he couldn’t break my pride. It was about all I had left.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Josh
“Josh, you’ve never had me to lose.”
Mia’s words echoed in my brain along with the sound of her heels against the marble floors as she walked away. From me.
I’d acted like an idiot and I didn’t have any explanation for my behavior. Mia hadn’t been unreasonable in asking for one but I truly didn’t know what had compelled me to kiss her. I could blame the robbery and the thought of a gun aimed at her chest but that would be a lie. I’d already started thinking of her differently even before that happened if I was being completely honest. That incident had just sent my emotions into outer space. Normally I was cool and in control but tonight with Mia I was a blithering buffoon, unable to verbalize any of the myriad of emotions swirling in my gut.
All I knew for sure was that I’d realized that I’d taken Mia’s friendship for granted for far too long and that I needed to show her my appreciation. A kiss hadn’t been planned. It had been an impulse. An amazingly pleasurable impulse, and if I had any ideas of going back in time and viewing Mia as just the kid next door that was shattered when my lips met hers. Mia was a grown woman and I was hyperaware of that suddenly.
How do we be friends now?
I’d meant it when I said that she and Luke were my best friends. But I was sure that sticking my tongue in a friend’s mouth was going to cause issues. I’d tried to apologize but maybe the real problem was…
Tempt Him Page 9
