“Then what?” Josh inquired again.
Trying to find the courage, but not locating it anywhere, Shelly opted for evasive maneuvers.
“Well, I wanted to say goodbye,” Shelly rolled her eyes at herself, and then shook her head. “I’m doing a terrible job of lying, aren’t I?”
Finally, he moved.
He stepped forward until they were standing with only inches separating them.
Shelly looked up into his warm chocolate eyes and whispered, “I’ve been working on my brave face.”
Josh reached up with both hands and cupped her face. “It’s still pathetic.” He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “What do you need to be brave about?”
He watched as she bit her lip, blinking those beautiful eyes at him.
“I wasn’t like this before you.”
Josh tilted his head and asked, “Like what?”
“Vulnerable. You’ve made me a walking bag of emotions!” she accused.
Leaning down, Josh laid his lips against hers in a gentle kiss.
Lifting his head, he told her softly, “But we were just a fling.”
She tried to shake her head, but with him holding her face, she could move it only slightly.
“You were never just a fling,” she whispered.
“Then, what was I, Shelly Monroe?”
She licked her lips and locked eyes with him. “You were a game changer.”
Shelly couldn’t believe what she had just said that to him.
What on earth am I doing?
Laying her heart on the ground is what she was doing. Laying it down and saying, Here you go, please tread carefully. She stared up at him, eyes locked with his. She saw sadness flicker into them before quickly disappearing.
“And what game are we playing, Georgia? Yours?”
Well, that didn’t sound good, Shelly thought as she pulled back. What did I expect? Well, she had expected…
“I thought that you wanted this?” She paused, pointing to him and then herself. “Us?”
She watched as he turned away, shaking his head. “I don’t trust you, Shelly.”
That hit hard. It actually physically hurt. “I don’t understand what you mean. I’ve never cheated on you or betrayed you.”
“Haven’t you?” he questioned, running his hand through his hair. Spinning back to her, he dropped his hand down by his side. “Didn’t you betray me and yourself when you reduced everything we did that weekend to a fling?”
Shelly stepped back until she bumped into the wall. “I was confused. I didn’t believe it could happen that quickly,” she tried explaining in a rush of air.
“Well, that’s convenient—for you. But me? I’m just thrown aside. Not trusted because an ex showed up?” he asked, moving toward her. “I’m left feeling like shit because you freaked out. And now that I’m leaving, now that I have my shit together and know what I want, you want to tell me how you feel? Jesus!” he ended on a loud sigh and pushed past her, storming into the kitchen.
Shelly stood with her back pressed to the wall, breathing hard.
Is that what I’m doing?It probably is, but screw that.
She was fighting for what she wanted. She was going to push all the sweet Jennys out of his mind and remind him who he met first—and that was Man-Eater Monroe. Delicious Daniels liked her. He couldn’t resist her.
Maybe she just needed to reintroduce them.
Josh stood in the kitchen, staring out the back window.
Mutley was outside running around, and he was in his house on this perfect afternoon with Shelly, confessing her feelings for him.
Of course, this is what he had wanted all along, but somehow, her showing up just because he was leaving pissed him off. He wanted her to turn up because she had realized every day would be better if they were together. Not because she was afraid that he was walking away forever. Shit, her timing is horrible.
“Josh?”
He heard her call from behind him. Turning, he saw Shelly standing at the door to his kitchen.
She had let her hair out of the ponytail holder and had kicked off her flip-flops, and suddenly, Josh was thrown back to months ago when he had first met this firecracker.
“What, Georgia?” he asked as he watched her look him over.
What the hell is the woman trying to do to me?
“Why are you angry at me? I just wanted to tell you how I felt before you left. You always tell me I never say what I’m thinking.”
He shook his head and watched as she pushed off the doorjamb, moving toward him.
“That’s the problem, Shel. You’re telling me because I’m leaving or because of Jenny.”
He watched her stop at that, and then she tilted her head.
“Are you and her serious?”
Josh almost lied. He almost said yes, just so he wouldn’t get pulled into her spell and be caught for the rest of his life. As he stood there with his ass leaning against the sink, he watched while Georgia walked toward him with those big eyes and her sexy hair spilling over her shoulders. And he thought, Fuck it. Sometimes a man has to know when to give in.
Shelly waited in the middle of his kitchen as he looked her over from head to toe.
He answered quietly, “Jenny and I only went on three dates.”
Something heavy lifted off of Shelly’s chest at that, and suddenly, she felt very confident. Continuing her walk across the kitchen, she stopped in front of him, reaching out to trace a finger down the white T-shirt he was wearing.
That was another thing she liked about Josh. He was such a simple guy when it came to the everyday things, but then again, he could afford to be because the man filled out a T-shirt and a pair of jeans like nobody’s business.
“Shelly?” he seemed to warn her.
Looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, she smiled wickedly, teasing a finger under his shirt down to the top snap of his jeans. She was thrilled when he uncrossed his arms and braced his hands behind him on the sink.
“Josh?” she asked in turn.
She watched his muscular chest expand on a deep breath.
“If we do this, you need to understand that I’m still leaving,” he explained.
That was not what she was expecting, but at this stage, she was willing to take what she could.
“Okay. Would you be open to email?” she asked him unexpectedly.
She was pleased when surprise crossed his face.
“I don’t understand what you mean,” he told her.
She continued to swirl a nail around the bare skin between his navel and the top of his jeans.
“Will you email me—stay in contact with me?” She paused, biting her bottom lip. “Or are you leaving and never coming back?”
Josh looked down at her, feeling every emotion he had tried to squash rush back in.
“I’m undecided at the moment, but yes, I’ll email you if you want me to.”
He watched as her eyes clouded, but she quickly blinked and nodded.
“I’d like that,” she confessed. She rose up on her tiptoes, placing both palms on his chest, as she laid her lips against his. “You know what else I’d like?”
Josh’s breathing was getting more and more labored with every word she spoke. “No. Why don’t you tell me?” he suggested, finally reaching up to grip her upper arms.
“I’d like to feel you inside of me again.”
Groaning low, Josh nodded as he straightened up from the sink.
Reaching into her hair, he pulled her face forward, pressing his lips to hers. She parted her mouth straight away as he slipped his tongue into the warm interior. He heard her moan and felt her hands move around behind his waist, landing on his ass.