Friendship on Fire (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 3) Contemporary Romance

by Melissa Foster

  Riley let go of Josh’s hand as she took her seat, and Josh felt the emptiness like a missing friend. How could that happen so fast?

  “This is so exciting. How did you get tickets so quickly?” Riley asked with wide eyes. She scanned the stage, the audience, and finally Josh. “Thank you for taking me here.”

  “The show is called First Date. I thought it was appropriate, so I made a few phone calls,” Josh answered. He slid his hand into hers.

  She looked at him with warmth in her eyes, and as she leaned toward him, he thought she might initiate a kiss. She whispered, “First Date? Really? You’re so thoughtful. This is incredible. It’s so majestic but so intimate at the same time. I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto,” she joked.

  In the flash of her words, Josh was thrown back to the concert once again: comfortable and happy and full of wonder about the woman who had reentered his life without warning.

  The musical comedy began, and Josh watched Riley more than he watched the show. Her laugh was loud and hearty and anything but feminine. She threw her head back with her mouth open and roared; tears of joy streamed from her eyes. Her enjoyment was infectious, and Josh found himself not curtailing his own laugh for the first time in years. He was so used to making sure he was projecting an appropriate image for a man of his status that he hadn’t realized how much of his life had been impacted by his career. Or perhaps limited was a better word.

  By the time the show ended, Riley’s tears of laughter had washed away most of her makeup, revealing the natural beauty that lay beneath. Her high cheekbones shone pink, and her thick lashes set off the glow of yellows and greens in her hazel eyes. Josh felt a tug in his heart, the speed of which threw him for a loop.

  As they headed for the front exit, Riley slowed her pace. “Shouldn’t we go out the back?”

  He’d been so caught up in her that he’d almost forgotten. “The back will be swarming with people trying to get autographs. We’re better off going out the front with a bit of cover." The last thing he wanted was to let go of her hand, but if he had any hope of shielding her from the media, they had to exit separately. Chances were strong that there wouldn’t be any media out front. Photographers usually stalked the back entrance after the shows to take pictures of the actors.

  The thought of anyone but Claudia seeing them holding hands didn’t bother Josh, but Claudia could make Riley’s life hell. “Riley, we should walk out like we’re not together. I’m really sorry, but just in case. It’s probably for the best. You can leave first, and I’ll follow. Go to your left and I’ll meet you around the corner.”

  “Oh, good idea. You’re so sneaky.” Riley laughed. She let go of his hand and whispered, “I feel like I’m sneaking around in high school or something.”

  “Me too, but you’re the last person I want to sneak with,” he said honestly.

  She frowned, and he realized she thought he meant something other than what he’d intended.

  “I mean I’d rather walk out holding your hand, but I don’t want to give Claudia a reason to treat you any differently.”

  “Why do you let her be that way?” Riley asked.

  “I don’t let her. Claudia is who she is. There’s no changing her personality, but she’s the best damned design assistant anyone could have, and…she’s Peter’s niece.”

  Riley flushed and looked down.

  “What?” Josh asked.

  “I thought you two were, you know…”

  Josh shook his head. “What on earth would make you think that?” If Claudia had planted that seed in Riley’s mind, he’d speak to her first thing in the morning. That was going too far.

  Riley shrugged. “Something about the way she was around you the day we met.”

  “She’s a master at manipulation and creating false impressions. I’m aware of her tricks, but I didn’t think you’d really buy into them.” Or I’d have cleared it up right then. Josh would straighten that situation out tomorrow as well. No more of her invasions of his personal space. It was high time he stepped up and gave Claudia a few rules.

  Riley shrugged. “It was hard not to.”

  “Wait, you don’t think that I…No, no, no. I have never and have no interest. Riley, really?” How could she think he’d ever fall prey to Claudia’s games? Do I come across as that much of a player? Josh hadn’t realized that the image he projected of himself could be so clearly misconstrued by those who knew him. Then again, he’d only begun to get to really know Riley. Growing up together in a small town where family feuds ruled out friendships and crushes grew from afar didn’t exactly offer a chance to develop a well-rounded view of a person.

  “Sorry. I know better now, but then…”

  Josh let it drop. At the exit, he watched her walk alone down the busy street. Every second made him feel more like a heel. Fuck this. He hurried down the sidewalk and clasped Riley’s hand before she turned the corner.

  She started. “Wait. They might—”

  He kissed her—hard—and when her body relaxed in to him, he kissed her longer, deeper. When they drew apart, she was breathless again. He was beginning to enjoy the haze of desire in her eyes each time their lips met.

  “I’m not hiding, Riley. I’ll deal with Claudia and make sure you have nothing to worry about, but I’m not going to let one woman rob us of these moments.” Josh breathed fast and hard, bowled over by his own desire to go public about their relationship. Even if it appeared to be in the beginning stages, it had been silently incubating for years, testing his willpower when he was younger and waiting at bay ever since. He wanted to tell everyone—his family, his employees, his colleagues.

  Riley blinked at him in silence.

  His gut wrenched. “Shit. Did I misunderstand? Are you not interested in seeing each other?” He held his breath.

  “No.” Her eyes grew wide. “I mean, I didn’t realize how much I wanted this. I do. I want this.”

  He let out a relieved breath.

  “But, Josh, I’ll be a laughingstock. A cliché. Girl sleeps her way to the top. I’ll be tomorrow’s water cooler chat, and I don’t want that.”

  She was right. The problem was, Josh wasn’t willing to let her go before they even got started. He respected her, and he didn’t want her to be uncomfortable, but he also wanted to be with her.

  “Does that mean you want to sneak around?” Josh asked. Before she answered, he guided her around the corner of the building, beneath a blown-out light and out of eyesight of any passersby. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lowered his lips to hers again, pressing his hips against hers—and, God, did she feel good. The fullness of her breasts against his chest brought a rise beneath his pants. He ran his hands along the curves of her hips, memorizing the feel of them for those moments when he wouldn’t be able to reach out and touch her. He kissed her neck, her shoulder.

  “Yes,” she said in a rushed whisper. “Yes, I want to sneak around. I know that sounds stupid, but I just got here, and I’m already fighting an uphill battle.”

  He ran his finger along her collarbone.

  “Okay,” he said, looking into her eyes. “Sneaking around it is, but just for the record, I hate it already. It’s been so long since I’ve felt enthusiastic about anything other than work, and Riley”—he lifted her chin so their eyes met—“you stir all sorts of excitement within me.”

  When Josh had offered Riley the job back in Weston, he’d planned on showing her around New York, getting to know her a little better, and figuring out if what he felt in Weston had been real. He no longer needed clarification. His body ached for Riley. He wanted her. He needed her. From the sultry look in her eyes, he thought she felt the same, but he also didn’t want to rush her.

  RILEY HEARD HIS words, but her heart had leapt into her throat and stolen her voice when he’d said, You stir all sorts of excitement within me.

  “Riley?” Josh touched her arm. “Do you want to take a walk?”

  My pulse is racing. I could jog if y
ou wanted to.

  He closed in on her again, pressing her back against the wall, and he settled his cheek beside hers. Riley breathed in his rich, distinctive scent, which seeped right into her body, and drew her hands to his waist.

  “God, you smell good.” Shit. Did I say that out loud? She closed her eyes.

  “It’s Clive Christian,” he whispered in a deep, seductive voice. “They say that for four thousand years it’s been used to draw soulmates together.”

  She swallowed a whimper of desire.

  He slid his mouth toward her ear, exposing his neck too close to Riley’s lips. She could practically taste his skin. She bit her lip to stop herself from doing just that.

  Josh kissed the edge of her ear. “Are you sure you want to sneak?” His breath was hot against her skin. “Because there’s nothing I’d rather do than hold your hand when we walk down the street.”

  How could she tell the man she’d dreamed of for years that she didn’t want to hold his hand, when she really wanted to do so much more?

  He drew back. His eyes said, I want you. His hands on her waist choreographed, I need you, and Riley wondered if he could read her desires just as easily. But her mind struggled with a thought she tried to push away.

  He’s my boss.

  Damn it to hell. She swallowed hard, reaching for her voice, which was buried beneath a thick stream of lust. “I’m…sorry. Yes,” she managed.

  He kissed her on the cheek. “I respect your decision.”

  Josh took a step back, and Riley swore she felt her heart trying to claw its way through her chest to join him.

  “Shall we?” He motioned toward the sidewalk. I want you lingered in his eyes.

  Riley tried to ignore the battling voices in her head. Sneak around? Are you stupid? You don’t tell someone like Josh you want to sneak around. You don’t even want to! I have to. Claudia will make my life hell. You’re insane. Point taken. I’m talking to myself. Stopitstopitstopit.

  They walked along Times Square. Josh pointed out shops and talked about the different districts in the city, and as he spoke, Riley’s mind wandered. The combination of high-rise buildings, neon lights, and the rush of cars should have held her transfixed. New York was everything Weston was not, but she was so taken with everything about Josh that the streets, which surely breathed life into the air, were muted by the bubble of romance that had formed around them. The memory of her hand in his was so strong that when she made a fist, it was his palm she felt on her fingertips. She licked her lips and tasted Josh’s sweetness. The smell of his cologne was pungent, and with every shift of the evening air, it reminded her of how close their bodies had been only moments earlier. When she concentrated really hard, she could recall the faint scratch of his five-o’clock shadow as it grazed her cheek.

  A cab blew its horn, startling Riley.

  “You okay?” Josh asked.

  “Yeah.” She shook her head to try to escape the dreamy state she’d fallen into. Times Square came back into focus. “This is beautiful. Does it go on all night? The people, the lights, the cars?”

  “Pretty much.” He reached for her hand as they crossed the street and then quickly pulled it back. “Sorry.”

  “No, I’m sorry. I know this must seem really stupid to you, but I don’t want Claudia to have anything to hold over my head, and I know New York is a really big city and the chances of her or someone she knows seeing us is probably slim, but—”

  “Not as slim as you might think. When the media is in need of gossip, I’m definitely a target,” he said with a shake of his head.

  “Just so you know, that’s not very comforting.” This is going to be harder than I thought. “I really want to have a chance in the industry, and I can’t do that if I start out with a reputation of dating not just the boss, but…well…you. Famed, iconic fashion designer Josh Braden.” I sound like a fan girl.

  He slowed his pace. “I don’t think it’s stupid at all. I might not like sneaking around, but that’s just me being selfish because I haven’t wanted to hold a woman’s hand or take her face in my hands and kiss her until she forgets her name—” He stopped walking and stepped toward her.

  Kiss him. Just do it. Riley was lost in the thought of what he wanted to do. She couldn’t move, could barely think past what that kiss would feel like.

  “In forever,” Josh said. “And you spur all of that in me.” His eyes searched hers. “When we were together back home, I felt something, but I wasn’t sure if it was real or not.”

  He looked away, and Riley’s breath caught. His profile was even more striking set against the backdrop of Times Square.

  “I felt it too,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure if he’d heard her, and she wasn’t brave enough to say it again.

  “I understand why you want to be careful, and as I said, I respect your decision,” he explained. “That doesn’t mean it’ll be easy, and if I stand here looking at your beautiful face, I’m liable to do something that in no way resembles sneaking.” Josh put his hand on the small of her back for a step or two. “Come on. I want to show you something.” He shoved his hand in his pants pocket.

  It was all Riley could do to keep breathing. She followed alongside him in silence, the sounds of the busy street fading behind them. When they crossed Fifth Avenue, they were swallowed by an enchanting hush. Unlike Times Square, there were no neon lights or open storefronts. It was as if they had walked into a secret world, and in that peaceful hush, Riley’s pulse calmed and her mind cleared, and she was finally able to think clearly.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “It’s a surprise, but we’re almost there. This is one of my favorite stretches of sidewalk. Can you feel it?” He held his hands out to his sides as they walked.

  “The peaceful, magical aura?” Riley asked.

  “Yes. I never really knew what to call it, but that’s definitely spot-on.” He put his hands back in his pockets, and Riley wondered if it was to temper his desire to hold her hand—or more.

  They came upon busier streets and bright lights, and the serene hush vanished like a thought in the wind.

  “Is that—” Riley felt her eyes grow wide.

  “Grand Central Station.” A smile stretched across his lips. “I’ve lived here for so long that I almost forgot how spectacular this place really is.”

  “It’s brilliant,” she said. “Are we going in there?”

  “We are.” He reached for her hand again, and she put it out without thinking. Their fingers touched, their eyes met, and for a split second everything felt perfect, and then the voice came back—he’s your boss—and Riley drew her hand back to her side and looked away. Maybe I made a mistake. He is my boss. She looked back at Josh’s hand. But he’s also Josh.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “Come on.”

  She followed him inside the exquisite building. Her heels clicked and clacked as they crossed the station. The impossibly high, arched, green ceiling grew from golden walls with thick columns. Riley took in the magnificent structure with glorious windows that allowed the moonlight to filter in, giving the evening an even more charming feel.

  She and Josh walked past an enormous newsstand and under a portal. They appeared to be walking to another exit, and just before they reached it, Josh pointed to an escalator.

  “Down there? Where exactly are you taking me?” she asked.

  “I’ll show you.” He motioned toward the escalator, and Riley stepped on.

  She clutched the railing as they descended beneath the ground. “This is a little nerve-racking.”

  “That’s why you’re doing it with me,” he said.

  They landed on a concrete platform with subway lines running in both directions.

  “Josh,” she said. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”

  “Ri, look at me.”

  She did, but her eyes darted back to the platform and the dark tunnel just beyond.

&nb
sp; “I’m right here,” Josh said. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You are a smart, capable woman, and I don’t want you to feel like there’s anything you can’t do. I promise that when we’re done, you’ll feel totally different about the subway.”

  She wished she could just tuck herself beneath his arm and cuddle up against his muscular body, hiding from any possibility of getting on a train.

  “Trust me?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “That’s all I ask,” Josh said.

  Riley’s legs shook and she held her breath as they stepped over the edge of the platform and onto the train. Josh held her arm in one hand and put the other firmly across her back long enough for her to find safety hanging on to a metal pole. She didn’t mind that there was no place to sit. It gave her a reason to stand closer to Josh, and with her nerves tied in knots, she needed the security of being close to him. An older woman read the newspaper; her silver eyeglass frames slipped down her nose every few seconds, and she’d wrinkle her nose, then push them up with her finger, and repeat the act again a minute later. At the far end of the train, a group of high-school-aged kids gathered, laughing and smiling. Riley marveled at their ease. Why am I so nervous? The seats were packed tight with people whose eyes were locked on the floor before them.

  Each time the train stopped, more people got off the train, and by the third stop, Riley wasn’t as nervous. She watched women and men in groups and alone, and the longer she watched, the more she realized that the subway was a way of life in New York. It was like taking the bus through Weston or Allure. She looked up at Josh, who was watching her intently, and she couldn’t believe he’d take his time to help her through her fear. Then again, this was Josh Braden, who, as a fifth grader, had given his lunch to a boy who had dropped his tray in the school cafeteria. She’d almost forgotten about that incident, and as she looked at his handsome face, she realized that the boy he’d been was likely very similar to the man he’d become.