least say something .”
A small smile twitched at his lips. “What kind of pizza?”
She blinked. “Guess.”
“Cheese.”
Tipping her head to the side, her hair, all wavy and sexy, fell down around her shoulders. “Come on, Hudson. I know you better than that.”
He lifted the lid with one finger and, yeah, she knew him alright. “What about you? You hate mushrooms.”
“Consider it a compromise. My second of the night.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “What was the first?”
“Not sleeping with Andrew.”
Snapping his mouth shut, he ground his jaw. He should’ve punched the guy in the face when he had the chance. “How do you figure I’m coming out ahead on that?”
“You didn’t want me to,” she said with an easy lift of her shoulder, covered in tight, sexy lace.
No shit. “But you wanted to.”
“Not really.”
“You were going to anyway?”
“Possibly,” she said, scraping her teeth along her bottom lip as she nodded and exhaled heavily.
“Christ.”
“Ask me why,” she said anxiously, her eyes wide and challenging.
“I really don’t want—”
“Ask me, Josh.”
He dug the heels of his hands into his own eyes and groaned. “ Why? ”
“Because the guy I really want has been off limits for the past two and a half years.”
His hands fell away and he gaped at her, completely poleaxed. Sweet Jesus.
“Now I get to ask you something.” She didn’t skip a beat. Like she hadn’t just slammed him with the biggest, craziest confession ever .
“I’m not sure games are a good idea right now, Carissa.”
“One question.”
He blew out a breath and she must have taken it for concession because she was talking again. His mind spun so fast, it took all his concentration to actually hear the words that came out of her pretty pink mouth.
“When you kissed me the other day, you meant it, didn’t you? It wasn’t just a ploy.”
This wasn’t happening. This could not be happening.
She was a good girl, despite whatever she might’ve done with friggin’ Andrew. Case in point that she hadn’t. Coming to him instead probably wasn’t her best decision either, even if it did make him feel a hell of a lot better. Especially the part about her wanting him .
You’re never gonna last, man.
The woman had no idea what she was asking. No idea the fucked up thoughts in his head. Sure, it would be easy enough to give them what they both wanted and get off on her once again. After all, he’d had a hell of a time thinking about anything else this past week.
But she had to realize that giving in to their primal urges was wrong in every way imaginable. And the repercussions for getting involved again, if anyone ever found out, would be nothing less than nasty for both of them.
It had been good between him and Carissa. Damn good. But was what they shared that one night worth the risk of irreparably damaging a friendship that meant so much to both of them?
He also cared way too much about her to make her any more vulnerable as a result of what they’d done. Regardless of whatever this was—or had been—between them, he valued her friendship too.
“Josh...”
He swallowed against the need in his chest and shook his head. “I can’t do this, baby girl. I’m sorry.”
***
H e shot her down. Not what she’d hoped for, but then she’d expected as much, hadn’t she?
Carissa watched as he stalked into the living room, overturned a five-gallon bucket and sat, elbows on his knees, head hung in his hands. He pushed his fingers back through his hair, the expression on his handsome face and the lines of his big, muscled body all tight and conflicted.
“You didn’t answer my question, hot shot,” she said, slowly following after him, her heels clicking one at a time against the floor, until she stood only a few feet in front of him.
“And I’m not going to. Christ, Carissa, you know this is a bad idea.” He covered his face with his hands and muttered an audible fuck .
“You
A small smile twitched at his lips. “What kind of pizza?”
She blinked. “Guess.”
“Cheese.”
Tipping her head to the side, her hair, all wavy and sexy, fell down around her shoulders. “Come on, Hudson. I know you better than that.”
He lifted the lid with one finger and, yeah, she knew him alright. “What about you? You hate mushrooms.”
“Consider it a compromise. My second of the night.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “What was the first?”
“Not sleeping with Andrew.”
Snapping his mouth shut, he ground his jaw. He should’ve punched the guy in the face when he had the chance. “How do you figure I’m coming out ahead on that?”
“You didn’t want me to,” she said with an easy lift of her shoulder, covered in tight, sexy lace.
No shit. “But you wanted to.”
“Not really.”
“You were going to anyway?”
“Possibly,” she said, scraping her teeth along her bottom lip as she nodded and exhaled heavily.
“Christ.”
“Ask me why,” she said anxiously, her eyes wide and challenging.
“I really don’t want—”
“Ask me, Josh.”
He dug the heels of his hands into his own eyes and groaned. “ Why? ”
“Because the guy I really want has been off limits for the past two and a half years.”
His hands fell away and he gaped at her, completely poleaxed. Sweet Jesus.
“Now I get to ask you something.” She didn’t skip a beat. Like she hadn’t just slammed him with the biggest, craziest confession ever .
“I’m not sure games are a good idea right now, Carissa.”
“One question.”
He blew out a breath and she must have taken it for concession because she was talking again. His mind spun so fast, it took all his concentration to actually hear the words that came out of her pretty pink mouth.
“When you kissed me the other day, you meant it, didn’t you? It wasn’t just a ploy.”
This wasn’t happening. This could not be happening.
She was a good girl, despite whatever she might’ve done with friggin’ Andrew. Case in point that she hadn’t. Coming to him instead probably wasn’t her best decision either, even if it did make him feel a hell of a lot better. Especially the part about her wanting him .
You’re never gonna last, man.
The woman had no idea what she was asking. No idea the fucked up thoughts in his head. Sure, it would be easy enough to give them what they both wanted and get off on her once again. After all, he’d had a hell of a time thinking about anything else this past week.
But she had to realize that giving in to their primal urges was wrong in every way imaginable. And the repercussions for getting involved again, if anyone ever found out, would be nothing less than nasty for both of them.
It had been good between him and Carissa. Damn good. But was what they shared that one night worth the risk of irreparably damaging a friendship that meant so much to both of them?
He also cared way too much about her to make her any more vulnerable as a result of what they’d done. Regardless of whatever this was—or had been—between them, he valued her friendship too.
“Josh...”
He swallowed against the need in his chest and shook his head. “I can’t do this, baby girl. I’m sorry.”
***
H e shot her down. Not what she’d hoped for, but then she’d expected as much, hadn’t she?
Carissa watched as he stalked into the living room, overturned a five-gallon bucket and sat, elbows on his knees, head hung in his hands. He pushed his fingers back through his hair, the expression on his handsome face and the lines of his big, muscled body all tight and conflicted.
“You didn’t answer my question, hot shot,” she said, slowly following after him, her heels clicking one at a time against the floor, until she stood only a few feet in front of him.
“And I’m not going to. Christ, Carissa, you know this is a bad idea.” He covered his face with his hands and muttered an audible fuck .
“You
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