been off,
but those windows and that moonlight didn’t exactly make it dark.
What in the hell was I thinking? I felt like I’d
grown a second consciousness, and the two had declared war on each other. One
part of me knew staying away from Josie was priority number one. The other part
of me, the one I wished I could locate so I could radiate it the hell out,
wanted to be as close to Josie as she’d let me get. Those two agendas didn’t
align. In fact, they couldn’t have been any more at odds. If one didn’t roll
over and die soon, the battle would split me right down the middle.
Threatening both of my subconsiousnesses with a lobotomy if
they didn’t shut up, I made my way toward the bed Josie was already crawling
into. It was a relief when she threw the covers on. I grabbed a pillow and
threw it on the ground. I was just grabbing the blanket draped on the chair
when I heard the bed springs groan.
“What are you doing?” She sat up in bed, watching me like
I’d tripped a wire.
“Going to bed,” I answered with a shrug.
“And the reason you’re throwing pillows and blankets on the
floor is. . .?” Josie and I were not on the same wavelength apparently.
“Because you’ve got the bed, which means I’ve got the
floor.” It was her room, and even if she’d offered me the bed, I wouldn’t let
her sleep on the floor. Truthfully, Josie’s hardwood floor looked pretty damn
close to heaven. It was warm, I had a big fluffy pillow to rest my head on, and
the blanket was the softest thing I’d ever felt.
“Since when did you turn into Mr. Chivalrous?” The
wire-tripping expression deepened before she patted the space on the bed beside
her. “There’s plenty of room. No need to wake up with a stiff neck and back.”
I stared at the empty space. Fuck, if I slept beside her all
night, I’d wake up with something else stiff. “Really, the floor’s good.” I
slid off my hat and set it on her nightstand.
“Oh, please. We’ve already done the worst in this bed, so
you don’t have to worry about that. Just get in and get some sleep already.”
I knew I shouldn’t, but since the invitation had been
extended, I couldn’t say no. Tossing the pillow back onto the bed, I peeled off
a few layers of clothing and crawled in beside her. Josie’s back was to me, but
her shoulders were so stiff I knew she wasn’t asleep. Despite her no-big-deal
attitude, could Josie be just as conscious of me beside her as I was of her
beside me? The journey to that answer was a road I couldn’t take. I already
knew the ending, and I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t hurt Josie any more
than I already had. She deserved better, and she deserved a million times
better than I could ever give her.
“See? Was that so bad?” she asked, her back still to me.
I slid my hands behind my head and grinned at the ceiling. I
hadn’t been paying attention the last time I was in it, but Josie’s bed was the
most comfortable thing I’d ever been on. “No, Joze, that wasn’t so bad.”
“Told ya.”
My grin stretched wider. “Oh, and you don’t have to worry
about me crawling into your nice clean bed in the same clothes I worked in all
day.”
“Why’s that?”
I positioned the blanket just below my navel. “Because I
sleep naked.”
“What?!” she hissed, twisting around. As soon as she saw my
bare chest, her eyes widened. At least I could still get a rise out of her.
That part of our relationship hadn’t changed. She shrieked and covered her
eyes. By then, I was laughing. I would have been howling if her parents weren’t
a mere floor below us. “Garth, please, for the love of god and Montana, please
put something on. Anything on.”
Josie in her itty-bitty tank top with her hair in a floppy
ponytail and her hands clamped over her eyes . . . It was the funniest, sexiest
sight I’d seen. “Okay, fine. If you’re going to go all prude on me.” Sitting up
just enough, I pretended to get up to grab some clothes,
but those windows and that moonlight didn’t exactly make it dark.
What in the hell was I thinking? I felt like I’d
grown a second consciousness, and the two had declared war on each other. One
part of me knew staying away from Josie was priority number one. The other part
of me, the one I wished I could locate so I could radiate it the hell out,
wanted to be as close to Josie as she’d let me get. Those two agendas didn’t
align. In fact, they couldn’t have been any more at odds. If one didn’t roll
over and die soon, the battle would split me right down the middle.
Threatening both of my subconsiousnesses with a lobotomy if
they didn’t shut up, I made my way toward the bed Josie was already crawling
into. It was a relief when she threw the covers on. I grabbed a pillow and
threw it on the ground. I was just grabbing the blanket draped on the chair
when I heard the bed springs groan.
“What are you doing?” She sat up in bed, watching me like
I’d tripped a wire.
“Going to bed,” I answered with a shrug.
“And the reason you’re throwing pillows and blankets on the
floor is. . .?” Josie and I were not on the same wavelength apparently.
“Because you’ve got the bed, which means I’ve got the
floor.” It was her room, and even if she’d offered me the bed, I wouldn’t let
her sleep on the floor. Truthfully, Josie’s hardwood floor looked pretty damn
close to heaven. It was warm, I had a big fluffy pillow to rest my head on, and
the blanket was the softest thing I’d ever felt.
“Since when did you turn into Mr. Chivalrous?” The
wire-tripping expression deepened before she patted the space on the bed beside
her. “There’s plenty of room. No need to wake up with a stiff neck and back.”
I stared at the empty space. Fuck, if I slept beside her all
night, I’d wake up with something else stiff. “Really, the floor’s good.” I
slid off my hat and set it on her nightstand.
“Oh, please. We’ve already done the worst in this bed, so
you don’t have to worry about that. Just get in and get some sleep already.”
I knew I shouldn’t, but since the invitation had been
extended, I couldn’t say no. Tossing the pillow back onto the bed, I peeled off
a few layers of clothing and crawled in beside her. Josie’s back was to me, but
her shoulders were so stiff I knew she wasn’t asleep. Despite her no-big-deal
attitude, could Josie be just as conscious of me beside her as I was of her
beside me? The journey to that answer was a road I couldn’t take. I already
knew the ending, and I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t hurt Josie any more
than I already had. She deserved better, and she deserved a million times
better than I could ever give her.
“See? Was that so bad?” she asked, her back still to me.
I slid my hands behind my head and grinned at the ceiling. I
hadn’t been paying attention the last time I was in it, but Josie’s bed was the
most comfortable thing I’d ever been on. “No, Joze, that wasn’t so bad.”
“Told ya.”
My grin stretched wider. “Oh, and you don’t have to worry
about me crawling into your nice clean bed in the same clothes I worked in all
day.”
“Why’s that?”
I positioned the blanket just below my navel. “Because I
sleep naked.”
“What?!” she hissed, twisting around. As soon as she saw my
bare chest, her eyes widened. At least I could still get a rise out of her.
That part of our relationship hadn’t changed. She shrieked and covered her
eyes. By then, I was laughing. I would have been howling if her parents weren’t
a mere floor below us. “Garth, please, for the love of god and Montana, please
put something on. Anything on.”
Josie in her itty-bitty tank top with her hair in a floppy
ponytail and her hands clamped over her eyes . . . It was the funniest, sexiest
sight I’d seen. “Okay, fine. If you’re going to go all prude on me.” Sitting up
just enough, I pretended to get up to grab some clothes,
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